My Dream Belongs In Crimson
by n9neSTAR
Summary: My life is more of nightmare than a dream. I hate my red eyes and I hate how the world shuns me because of them. Can she be the one to accept me for who I really am? What exactly am I?
1. Another Long Beginning

**RE-EDITED**

**Author's Note: Hello everyone :D**

**This is the second fanfiction story I attempt to write, so I chose to go with Gakuen Alice. I have seen the anime and I've kept up with the manga. I guess I can say I've been a fan for years. So I thought I'd give it a shot.**

**I do NOT own or have anything to do with the making of Gakuen Alice. I'm just a fan like everyone else.**

**This story won't be following the main plot of Gakuen Alice. So there won't be no alices. Other than that, the characters are older in this story, so I'm going to try and give them a close personality to the one in the manga, so there will most likely be out-of-characterness. I'll try my best.**

**-For sure I'm a huge fan of Natsume Hyuuga, so I'll be mostly writing in his point of view. I'll be including Mikan's POV as well. I think I'll be balancing between the both of them.**

**-Oh and, just a heads up. I have a pretty "creative" vocabulary. Meaning... I swear a lot. and it means I'll be making the characters swear too. So that's why it's rated T. If you think its really getting out of hand; let me know. I'll try to tone it down. It's all on you if wish to continue reading.**

**I won't keep you any longer so I hope you enjoy and I'd love to make new fans.**

_**Enjoy :D**_

* * *

_**Prologue-**_

_My life story so far has been anything but perfect- far from it. My life has actually had me going from one hell-hole to the next, and that's all because of all the shitty families I've been passed on to. Ever since I was four or so, I've been adopted by desperate parents._

_Always feeding me the whole 'you're the missing piece to our puzzle' crap._

_...Yeah right- it never lasted. I was always taken back to the orphanage by the end of the first week or somewhere around it._

_WHY?_

_Well I guess my eyes are at fault for that, since it wasn't not normal for someone to have red eyes. Yeah, I have a fucked up genetic disorder that gave me red eyes and because of this, I was always returned to the same old place after they noticed my eyes weren't changing. The preaching families of the holy whatever spirit had even deemed me to be of some satanic origin JUST because of my eyes… my eyes. _

_It really wasn't very 'nice' hearing all of that as a little kid. _

_But even so, the orphanage would always tell me that the right family was bound to show up. Excuse after excuse and hearing the same thing over and over didn't help either. The same excuses weren't really getting me anywhere and seeing how I grew older between the other kids there? -I knew it was all a waste of time._

_You see... the older you get, the chances of getting adopted grow slimmer; especially in my case. The headmaster of the orphanage would even get restless every time I got returned. He was just as sick of it as I was. I didn't know why he even kept trying? We both knew I wasn't going anywhere, but even so… he went out of his way to run some tests on me with a few Optometrists, doctors, specialist, whatever of the kind. In the end, we got nothing out of it. Mostly all of them accused me of being of some weird case of albinism because of the pigment of my eyes, but that wasn't even the beginning. Calling me albino wouldn't really fit the rest of my profile since my hair was naturally Jet black, my skin wasn't as pale as a ghost, and I had no vision problems at all._

_I was just a regular kid with a different set of eyes. What was so damn wrong about it?_

_Why couldn't they make the exception? _

_...I've always wanted to ask that to the random psychos who would return me._

_After so many fucked up cases, I figured it a lost cause since I was going back either way. It wasn't worth trying to convince these people about trying to like me, so instead of them returning me for being 'unique', I promised myself to give them a REAL reason to send me back. _

_Thus, starting the never ending spree of EVER finding a permanent home._

_I had a rough childhood and had done some pretty fucked up things I would never forget, but year after year I made sure to get sent back with a real reason. It was the same routine- I didn't care._

_So by the time I was fourteen, I wasn't really at the orphanage for in need of a family. More like I was working there, since I was still a minor and I needed a place to stay._

_Nothing was out of the ordinary until Youichi was brought to the orphanage. The kid was four years old when he lost his parents. Nobody in his family claimed him, so he ended up here. Normal looking kid, shaggy silver-blond hair, pale skin, and steel blue eyes._

_I simply thought it wouldn't be long before he got adopted, but there was only one thing that was quite off._

_He was a mute. Meaning the kid couldn't talk. I didn't know if he could talk before, so I ended up assuming he lost his voice when his parents died. _

_He was a good kid, but for some reason he was having a difficult time getting adopted. And the other kids in the orphanage treated him like he was invisible. Nobody approached him._

_Even though Youichi's case wasn't as bad as mine, it was a big enough flaw to keep the kid without a chance of finding a new family and making friends._

_I had the same issue, I was never close to any of the other kids, and that was because none of them lasted as long. I mean, I was the freakin' oldest kid in the place. _

_In the end, I started talking to Youichi even though I knew he couldn't talk. He was the only one actually. Since we both knew neither of us was going anywhere, I decided to take him in like the little brother I never had._

_I looked after him for the time he was at the orphanage. I lost track of time, so before I knew it, a whole year went by._

_Exactly on the day of my 'supposed to be' fifteenth birthday, I received notice that someone wanted to adopt me._

_It was completely random. I mean, why would someone want to adopt me after so long? –who the hell knew... that type of thing._

_I decided to turn it down so I wouldn't leave Youichi on his own, but the headmaster had other plans. He saw it as my last resort, so as a result he ignored my reply and had the guy pick me up that same day._

_Turned out the guy wasn't married or anything like all the rest. As odd as I found it to be, the guy wasn't even that old to be looking for children. I was past caring; I still stuck to my decision and turned him down._

_Within a few hours, the three of us were already arguing. The headmaster was yelling at me for not wanting to go. I was yelling at the random guy sitting across from me, since he wasn't going to let me stay, and he was yelling at the headmaster to force me._

_So in the end, both Youichi and I ended up leaving the orphanage that day._

_That day was the first and last day we ever met our so-called guardian._

_Persona._

_That's the name he gave us to refer to him as._

_Even though I was fifteen at the time, he didn't look after us like he had agreed. Instead, he would set us up in shitty ass places and abandoned us there. Left us to fend for ourselves. Every end of the month he would send a letter with his name, telling us what was to become of us for the next month._

_If I thought finding a family was a pain in the ass, trying to find a place I can call home was even more impossible._

_I didn't want Youichi to grow up with a horrible childhood like I did. I tried making the most of it by finding any part-time job, since Persona would only provide us with enough money for the rent. So as for food and other necessities, I had to find a way to come up with the money._

_That wasn't the only hard part either. For the past year, Persona has made us move six times already._

_This time he sent a note telling us, we better get used to this place since it'll be permanent till my graduation._

_Once I graduate from high school, I'll be able to work full-time and help Youichi with a more comfortable life._

_I'm sixteen now, and I only have two more years to go. And as long as my eyes don't get exposed, we should be able to live a somewhat normal life in this town._

_Well then... let's see how the rest of my story turns out._

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

"Alright Youichi, you got to get up now." I groggily wiped the corner of my eyes with the back of my hands while crossing the small hallway towards his room. "You don't want to be late do you? -because if you're late then I'll be late too…" I leaned my head up against his door and knocked twice.

As soon as I heard his bed sheets moving and the sound of his footsteps walking around, I knew he was up.

For a six year old, he was pretty independent. I figured after everything we've been through, it's gotten the kid pretty independent. These past two years have been some experience for him.

I walked back to my room and tried to take care of my morning routine while Youichi finished getting ready.

I changed into a black V-neck shirt and black skinny-fit jeans after my shower. I returned back to my room and retrieved my black converse along with heading for the only tall dresser in my room. Pulling the top drawer open, I took out one of the many cases I had for contact lenses. They were all the same color so it didn't matter which I grabbed. I just had a bunch of spares just in case I ever lost any of them.

On my way to the bathroom, I stopped and noticed Youichi's door still closed. "Hey, are you alright in there?" I called out. Man... This kid better be ready.

I had no choice but to quickly kick my shoes on and set my contacts. I used the bathroom mirror to help me with my contacts and closed the kit immediately after. Pushing that aside, I grabbed my toothbrush and hastily brushed my teeth. "I'll help you out in a bit."

Finally done, I put everything I used back in its place and headed back to my room one last time. I quickly grabbed my 'supposed to be' reading glasses and put them on before strapping on my backpack.

I was finally able to check on Youichi but by the time I began heading toward his room, I heard movement coming from the other side of the apartment. I walk out of the hallway to see Youichi trying to pour the gallon of milk into a cereal bowl.

His arms were obviously shaking from the weight so I quickly rushed over to help. "Wait- here let me help you with the rest." I slowly took the milk away from him, and poured the necessary amount. I noticed he had set up a bowl for me next to him so I went ahead and poured the milk into the other bowl too.

He quickly handed me a spoon and climbed up on his chair as I sat down as well. We both sat there silently eating our breakfast. It was a quiet morning. No sirens, no neighbors fighting, it was simply… quiet.

It felt like a good first start. Different was more like it. In reality I could only hope this one wouldn't be like all the rest.

I just had to settle first and find my way around; get a job and mold that schedule with Youichi's and mine.

I didn't realize I had spaced out long enough to have Youichi pulling the side of my shirt letting me know I was taking too long.

I looked down at my wrist watch. "Shit!" I quickly grabbed the bowls and drop them off in the sink before grabbing the keys off the counter. "Get your stuff." I called out as I took out his lunch pale, and made him his light lunch snack.

I made sure to hand him his lunch before leading us out of the apartment and locking the door after us. I double checked the lock just in case and quickly pulled Youichi along the rest of the dark corridors in this building.

* * *

By the time Youichi and I had walked the four blocks to his school, I had thirty minutes to get to my school. Now I had to travel the other ten blocks towards my school.

The closer I got to my school, the more the town was shaping up. The buildings didn't look as bad. By that I mean, the boarded up windows, graffiti, and the worn out paint was becoming less common. The trees and landscapes were getting greener by the block, and the air didn't seem as heavy.

We seriously lived in the shitty side of town. It's no surprise though. Persona has had us move into places I'd have to stay awake full nights to make sure nothing happened to us. Compared to that, this was actually a step up.

By the time I reached the school gates, the first warning bell had already rung. I wasn't on time, but I wasn't exactly late either.

I won't complain about the school though, it was far out the most decent school I had attended so far. The school was a modern building; a white and blue campus made up of four stories. There were side buildings to it too, which I presumed were either the gym or pool area. It had well-kept landscaping and two wide parking lots on either side of the school.

I noticed there were only a few students outside of the main building.

I quietly made my way around them as I reached the front of the building. Without looking around or trying to meet the curious stares, I walked into the somewhat empty hallways of this 'so-called' new school of mine in search of the main office.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"Why am I always late on Mondays?" I kicked the door to my car shut and clicked the alarm as I tried rushing away. I swung the pink strap of my backpack over my shoulder and crossed my cheerleading strap over my other shoulder.

Thank God, I stuck with wearing jeans and a pair of sneakers or else I wouldn't have been able to make a run for it. I ran inside the school building just in time to hear the final bell ring.

I quickly slid to a stop in the middle of the lobby and broke into a run for the stairs.

I knew I couldn't get into THAT much trouble if I was only a few seconds late.

After reaching the second floor, I slowed down my running since my class wasn't that far anymore and I didn't want to look like a tired breathing dragon.

I took a few deep breaths and composed myself as I get ready for the worst. I let myself into the classroom to surprisingly notice the teacher wasn't here yet. The whole class was still in a talking mood.

Wow, did I luck out or what? It was hardly ever moment when this teacher started late. Usually my situation of being late involved getting scolded and written up.

"Mikan, over here!" I heard a cute bubbly voice calling me further into the room.

My smile instantly grew as I made my way to the group. "Hi Anna, Hi guys, sorry I'm late." I walked over and dropped my bags on my desk.

"No surprise. You're always late."

I glance over to the desk next to me. "I'm not always late Imai." I paused to choose my words carefully. "I'm simply not a morning person, and Mondays happen to be my worst days." I shrugged. "You know that." I purposely reached over and ruffled her short black hair since she didn't even bother looking at me.

"Well hey- at least you're ready for cheer practice this time." Nonoko changed the subject as she noticed my cheer bag.

"Oh -I know right?" I fully smiled as I flipped my side ponytail over my shoulder.

I looked past Nonoko and Anna to see if a certain blond was already here, but I didn't spot him.

He must be running late too.

"Oh Mikan, before I forget to ask you. Do you have anything planned after practice?" This time it was Anna who got my attention.

"No, why?"

"Well me and Nonoko made appointments to our favorite hair salon to retouch our hair since my pink is starting to fade, and Nonoko's tips need a trim."

I couldn't help but smile. Oh I know where this was going. "No Anna, for the millionth time, I don't want to cut my hair." I crossed my arms.

I noticed Nonoko step up. "Come on Mikan, you've had this weird mullet hairdo going on since we can all remember." She spun around trying to prove her point. "Like seriously, your hair is just past your waist."

"Nonoko?-" I raise my hands up in defense. "No offense but I like my hair the way it is." I pulled the hair-tie off my ponytail and let my light brown hair fall down. I pushed my sideswept bangs with my fingers and flipped the back of my hair over my shoulder. "There, see it looks short again."

"No Mikan, that's not what we mean." Anna whimpered. "The front half of your hair is okay because its shaped like a bombhead hairstyle. It's just the mullet part on the back that-"

I huffed and turned away. "I'm not cutting it, and that's final!"

"Alright fine, but at least go with us after practice." Nonoko said calling it quits.

I nodded and turned to the door since I just heard it open.

The class quietly started taking their seats since it was the teacher that walked in.

What caught everyone one off guard was the student that walked in right after him.

"Hey that must be the new student the teachers were talking about in the lounge." Sumire whispered loud enough for me and my friends to hear.

New student? -really? It's already two months into this school year? It's rare for a new student to show up this far into the semester.

It's not like any of the girls were complaining either, they were practically grinning about him. The whispers and smiles said it all.

I had to admit, he sure didn't look like most of the boys here in this school. He had a weird presence to him. He was decently tall, short-yet-long black hair, and dressed in all black. I couldn't really see his facial structures because of the way his messy hair clung to his face. His head was slightly tipped down too so it didn't help with trying to get a better view of him. In reality it almost seemed like he was trying to hide..

"Well then Natsume Hyuuga, welcome to Alta Alram High School. Find an empty seat for the day, and I'll see how I can come up with a plan for you to get you caught up with the rest of the class."

We all watched silently as this Hyuuga guy walked down the classroom. It wasn't till he walked past me that I noticed he was indeed wearing glasses. The black squared-frame of his glasses was well hidden beneath his black hair.

I saw him began to pull his backpack strap off his shoulder as he got to the seat behind me.

I instantly sat up straight and watched as he took the seat behind me.

He was taking Ruka's seat? What?

I continued watching over my shoulder as I finally got a better look at him.

I almost couldn't stop myself from gawking- like seriously… I thought this guy had something to hide since he was trying really hard to conceal his face. I really didn't expect him to a creamy fair complexion. The way he had been looking down really showed off his long eye lashes and his eyebrows were nicely shaped to match his eye pattern. His chin and jaw were nice too… I mean even his lips had a nice tint to them. This guy seriously had no reason to hide!

I curiously continued watching him, waiting to see if his eyes would look up, but instead I watched as he opened up his backpack and took out a thin black notebook and pen.

I was about to give up on all the curiosity when all of a sudden I saw him push his bangs to the side and glance straight at me. I blamed it on the fact that he caught me staring that my heart had decided to skip a few beats.

"Mikan...?" Imai whispered trying to get my attention with a swift elbow to my side. "You're rude, you know that?" I winced from Imai's tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, I..." I was just caught off guard from how blue his eyes were.

Curiosity got the best of me since I didn't even notice Ruka walk in and take a seat at the very back of the room.

I really cursed at my stupid curiosity. I mean I must have looked like a weirdo staring down the new guy! Stupid Mikan! Stupid! Stupid! I swear if I could slam my head on my desk, I would!

I only hoped Ruka didn't see me...

I quickly composed myself, and caught Ruka's attention by waving a small way under my table.

Ruka waved back at me while he pushed his blond hair back with his other hand. I could only take his action as good sign. If anything, I prayed he didn't notice me checking out the new guy.

I breathed out a quick sigh of relief and focused on taking my class materials out.

It wasn't like this was going to happen again. It was only this morning class I had to keep myself focused.

It was just for one class…

* * *

Up until lunch, so far I didn't have any other classes with the new guy.

Like, I did wonder if he even noticed me staring at him. It sure didn't seem like it though.

And I also wondered who he was going to sit with during lunch time. I mean, he was new to this school and even I wouldn't want to be sitting alone… I thought it would be tough being in his shoes.

I somewhat had the feeling to invite him to-

"Mikan!" I looked behind me to see Anna and Nonoko running in my direction. "Did you remember to buy the crab meat salad Imai asked you for yesterday? -Remember you lost the bet, and you had to bring it to her today?" Nonoko actually made it sound as if I had committed a crime.

Holy crap! "No! I forgot!" Dammit, I knew it was pointless betting against Imai, but I always ended up caught up in the moment. "Nonoko, Anna? Is it alright if you two cover for me while I drive down to the closest store to buy one?" I pouted hoping they'd say yes.

I watched Nonoko and Anna exchange looks before nodding at the same time. "Okay go, just give me your stuff and I'll hold it for you until you get back." Anna reached for my bag straps and pulled them off my shoulders. "Hurry back. We'll cover for you."

I mouth out a thank you and took off running towards the school's entrance. I tried remembering which store was actually the closest as I retrieved my keys out of my pocket. I was nearing the school entrance when all of a sudden I heard my name being called out.

"Mikan, hey- where are you going in such a rush?"

I smiled as I recognized the voice. "Hi Ruka, I'm just going out real quick to get something from the store."

"You forgot to buy Imai's crab meat didn't you?" I heard him chuckle.

"Shut up, I know!" I huffed since I was in a hurry.

"Do you want me to come with?" He took a step away from his jock friends.

"Sorry." I winced. "As much as I wish that. It'll seriously slow me down. I don't want Imai to find out I forgot."

I saw him nod understandingly. "Well you better hurry if you don't want that to happen."

I pointed at him and winked. "Right. I'll see ya in P.E kay." I called out as I ran out the doors.

I pressed the unlock button to my car as I reached its side and quickly got inside. I didn't even bother strapping on the seatbelt as I shifted the car in reverse and exited the parking slot. I had backed out unaware of my surroundings and ended up suddenly hitting something with the back of my car.

The fact that my car made a horrible sound alarmed me to jerk the car to a stop.

My senses continued to spike as I hurriedly got out and checked to see if there was a car behind me.

I knew for sure I had hit something so I cautiously approached the very end of my car.

Never in my life did I expect this…

I caught my gasp with my hands as I saw a person lying down not so far from my car.

Oh my God, I hit someone!

The panic that struck me caused me to hurry over to the faced down body on the ground, "Hey!" I slid on my knees to a stop, "Say something! Are you okay?!" My hands shook as I reached to touch his shoulders.

A painful grunt startled me backwards instead as I began seeing him move. He slowly shifted himself up to his hands and knees while hissing out his pain.

I got to the point that I was on the verge of crying because of what I had done. I was too afraid to even touch him now. I even felt more useless because I couldn't help the situation either.

I suddenly flinched as I saw him spit out blood. The sight didn't help me in the least bit. It completely froze me in place as he continued moving on his own.

His hair shifted off his forehead to reveal that his glasses were missing, so I quickly began glancing around while he steadied his breathing.

He had such a pain-filled expression I didn't dare break his concentration.

The tears began to pool in my eyes as I looked for his glasses around me. It wasn't until I reached behind me that my fingertips came into contact with his frames.

I brought up the back of my hand to wipe a stray tear stream down my right cheek. "I am so sorry..." I held his glasses in my hand, "Hyuuga right?" My voice came out shaky.

He reached to clutch onto his left side and sat up on his knees. "I'm late." His voice sounded low from behind clenched teeth as he attempted to stand.

"No wait- you're hurt! We have to get you to the nurse." I tightened my grip on his glasses.

I gasped a second time as he managed to stand up and pick up his backpack by the strap before watching him run out the school gate.

I couldn't believe it! What in the- "Hey!" He was in no condition to run!

I stood up from the shock.

I- what's he late to?... I wondered. I held onto his glasses and worriedly pondered back into my car.

Even so, It was still a huge relief to see him suddenly get up and run like that.

My hands continued to clutch at his glasses as the shaking was slowly subsiding from my arms.

I waited to ease my state of being instead of driving out instantly. I quietly sat in my car while I inspected his glasses for any damage. As odd as I found it to be… I held the glasses out and strangely tried them on. I squinted my eyes thinking they might have been of high prescription but… "Huh?" I blinked a few times to actually realize there wasn't much of a difference.

These glasses? They were... They're fake?

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

As much as my side was killing me and my bottom lip was throbbing from the pain, I had to pick up Youichi from school before my lunch break was over.

I didn't realize I didn't have my glasses until I was a block away from Youichi's school. Fuck, now thinking about it, I was in trouble with this random chick. I was too much in a hurry to care about what had just happened. And now I had to get them back.

As I approached the corner to where Youichi's school was, I slowed down my walking and wiped the corner of my bottom lip to make sure there wasn't any blood on it. I tried to compose myself as much as possible so I took a few deep breaths and relaxed my expression to mask the pain.

After all of that just happened I had no doubt I was going to be late. I really didn't want to find Youichi sitting by himself on the front step of his school.

I quietly walked over and caught his attention, "I'm sorry I took so long." I extend my right hand to him.

Instead of him taking my hand, he formed two circles with his hands and brought them up to his eyes.

Glasses…shit...he wanted to know about my glasses.

I grabbed one of his hands and got him to stand up instead. I tugged him along before trying to come up with a good excuse.

I didn't tell him the truth about getting hit by a car. I simply told him I left them at school by accident and that I'd be getting them back after school.

"Alright Youichi..." I pulled his hand to make him stop and I knelt down to meet his eye level. "I'm going to let you stay in the apartment for now while I get out of school. I want you to lock the door and not answer it no matter who it is, alright. I have my key, so you don't have to worry if it's me."

I saw him nod once letting me know he understood. What I didn't expect was for him to suddenly reach up and poke my lower lip where I was sporting my fresh wound. "It's nothing serious." I stood up avoiding the topic. "Let's get you home."

I knew it wasn't right to leave a six year old by himself but I didn't have much of a choice since I didn't have a daycare to drop him off at. I had barely gotten us settled into the apartment, and I was yet to find a job. Let alone school getting in the way. Our attendance was critical. It was a way for the orphanage and child services to keep track of us, so there was no messing with that.

After dropping off Youichi in the apartment, I made sure he had everything he would need while I was gone. Once done, I locked the door using my key and double checked again to make sure it was securely locked.

I only had one more class anyways, so it should take longer than two hours.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"Here you go Hotaru; I brought you the salad I promised." I slid it to her across the table since I sat on the other end.

I knew I didn't sound as cheerful as my usual self, but the incident from earlier was still nagging me bad.

"Hey, is something wrong?" I looked up noticing it was Ruka asking me as he took the empty seat next to me.

I forced a smile and shook my head. "Nope it's-" I paused to swallow the lump in my throat that always formed every time someone asked me that question. "It's nothing." I quickly averted my eyes to my lunch tray and tried avoiding his blue eyes.

"Well whatever it is- make sure you eat something. You got here pretty late and lunch is about to be over." He worriedly pushed my tray closer to me, "You want me to get you anything else?"

I faintly smiled at his concern. I obviously felt horrible now. The last thing I wanted was to make him worry. "I'll be fine Ruka, I'm okay with what I got for lunch. I promise I'll hurry eating 'kay?"

As much as I tried to distract myself by picking at my food, I still couldn't ignore Imai's glances from the other end of the table.

She knew something was up... I wasn't doing a good job fooling anyone.

It wasn't long before the lunch bell rang and me, Nonoko, and Anna began heading towards the ladies locker room to get ready for gym class.

"Uhmm Mikan?" Anna's voice caught my attention.

"Yeah?" I responded as I got to my locker and started undoing the combination.

"I don't think you noticed, but Hotaru didn't eat the salad you brought her."

I pulled my locker open. "Why didn't she eat it? I bought it at a really pricy place. It's not right for her to just push it aside?" I focused my attention on my cheer bag since I needed to take out my gym clothes.

"Oh don't get me wrong- she didn't throw the salad away, it's just that you took so long, she ended up eating something else."

I see... "Did she at least take it with her so she can eat it later?"

"Yup, I saw her take it with her." Nonoko answered my question instead.

I sighed... "That's a relief." It seriously sucked owing something to someone; especially if that someone was as scary as Imai. Hotaru was no joke, like my experience with her has had its ups and downs so I could say we've been through some good and bad things.

I continued spacing out while we changed out of our school clothes and into our red and white gym clothes. Anna and Nonoko had been chatting away about something this whole time, but I wasn't paying any attention to them until we were exiting the locker rooms.

"Don't you think it's starting to get cold now that October is over?" I listened to Anna and Nonoko's conversation from behind them as we headed for the gym's double doors.

Nonoko was the first one to pull one of the doors open revealing the school's main basketball court. Most of the students were already sitting up on the bleachers waiting for the coaches to show up. I tied my hair into two loose ponytails as I followed Anna and Nonoko up the bleachers towards our usual spot.

Once the P.E teachers showed up, they started with the attendance just like every day.

"Alright those of you who are in a sport's team… out on the baseball field. Cheerleaders... out on the football field. As for everyone else... follow the cheerleaders since you guys will be out on the track." One of the coaches called out getting the students on a move on.

"No way-" I heard Anna whimper next to me. "I was hoping we'd be allowed to practice here inside the gym." She pouted crossing her arms.

"It's not like we can do anything about it Anna, our cheer coach isn't here today either." Nonoko added as she stood up. "Looks like Misaki is going to have to lead everything again."

"Ladies? Get a move on!" One of the coaches yelled out to us since we were one of the few students still on the bleachers.

"Come on Anna." I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me so we wouldn't get in anymore trouble.

We picked up our pace and followed the rest of the class towards the track. By the time we got to the center, Misaki along with the rest of the cheerleaders were already starting to warm-up by doing the usual stretches.

I think if we would have been any later, Misaki would have said something to us. Thankfully I saw her smile and point us to our positions.

Anna giggled out of nowhere. "Someone seems to be in a good mood." She whispered laud enough to Nonoko and half of the squad to hear. The squad including myself couldn't help giggle over her reaction.

I looked over my shoulder to see Misaki's expression and it was completely obvious. She was blushing. I couldn't help but smile because of how pink she was getting.

I turned around before she could see that I was in the brink of cracking a huge smile.

"Oooh~ look at who we got here?" Everyone looked at Sumire since she caught everyone attention next. "What?- Don't look at me!" She pointed over to the stadium entrance instead.

Curious to see who it was, I looked over towards the direction Sumire was pointing.

The person was still far away to be able to tell, but it was obvious the person was a guy since he was wearing the guys red knee-length gym shorts. I also noticed this person was wearing a solid black shirt when it was actually supposed to be white.

Odd... it was actually mandatory to wear the plain white shirt…

I continued with my stretches while my attention was focused on the person approaching the track.

I didn't know whether I kept looking because of curiosity... or because I already had an idea on whom this person might be.

By the time the coach started all the other students on the track, Hyuuga was barely stepping onto the track.

I couldn't really focus on what the gym coach began talking to him about because Misaki was starting to set us up to begin practice. All that I got out of it was seeing Hyuuga take a seat next near a track wall while everyone else continued running their laps.

"Mikan? -focus!" Misaki's voice startled me almost making me lose my balance. "Everyone- back from the top."

The girls gave me a confused glance before returning to their positions. It even made me feel awkward.

I shook off some of the frustration and tried to focus myself.

I definitely wasn't like this day so far. It felt like I was having such an off day to be honest.

I didn't want to admit it but I knew the source… and it was this new guy! The whole thing about hitting him with my car was really rattling my head.

I breathed out a deep breath and steadied myself just before the routine started once again. I cheerfully called out cheer as we all synchronized accordingly.

Little by little the track got emptier and emptier as the students finished up their four laps. The track eventually got empty as all the students returned to the black top area. It wasn't until I caught a glance at the gym teacher over by the starting line that caught my attention once again.

Hyuuga was stepping up to the line.

I completely froze as I realized the coach was making him run.

The coach was making him take the evaluation!

"Mikan?!" Misaki's voice sounded even angrier than the first time.

Dammit not again! "I'm sorry Misaki... I-"

"Save it Mikan, it's seriously obvious your mind is somewhere else." Misaki huffed placing her hands on her hips. "Go sit down-"

I quickly stepped forward. "No Misaki please -I promise I won't-" Before I even got the chance to explain myself, Misaki raised her hand stopping me in mid-sentence.

"Go sit down Mikan! Once you're more focused, I'll let you come back okay?"

No use fighting the team captain. "Okay..." I nodded before walking away towards the stadium bleachers. I didn't dare look back to see the faces the girls were making because of my behavior.

Well I guess I had no other choice but to sit around for the next few minutes...

I quietly mulled over the fact that I got kicked out of practice because of this guy. I really couldn't understand what was going through my head. Like I knew I was concerned over his injuries, but this was beyond my expectation.

I crossed the track and climbed up a few of the metal bleachers before sitting down.

This definitely sucked… I kicked my feet around and played around with my loose hair strands before glancing up to watch the field.

The girls looked completely okay without me being there interrupting them. Misaki even appeared more relaxed now…

The coach caught my attention next as he fixed his stop watch and counted Hyuuga off to a start. It made me nervous seeing Hyuuga take the starting position.

I could only hope his wounds wouldn't get in the way.

I tentatively watched as Hyuuga took off running into a full on sprint.

"How in the...world?" I practically stood up from the shock.

Like I knew for a fact he was injured yet... he made his running seem like nothing was wrong?

He was fast- really fast; like something I've never seen before.

I checked to see what kind of expression the coach had, and to no surprise, he was just as shocked as I was.

By the end of the fourth lap, I noticed the coach raise one of his hands signaling Hyuuga over. I assumed this was the part where the coach offered him the possibility to join some sport teams.

I couldn't hear anything, so I stood over by the railing to see if I could at least get a hint of what they were talking about.

To no avail, I couldn't hear much. All I got out of it was Hyuuga shaking his head saying no to something.

Maybe that was it? -maybe he wouldn't have to complete the rest of the evaluation...

"Mikan?" Misaki's voice sang my name out. "Ready to practice now?"

YAY! Finally! "Yes!" I smiled.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

Dammit, the left side of my chest felt like it was on fire! I knew I wasn't doing much to hide it- fuck... it wasn't easy keeping a straight face right now. Not only that, but the coach had been rambling in front of me for the past -whatever minutes and it's not fuckin' helping.

It wasn't until I leaned down to support my weight by placing my hands on my knees that gave him the heads up that I wasn't doing so well.

"You alright son?" I felt him place his hand on my shoulder.

The fuck did it look like? He seriously couldn't tell? I shook my head and walked past him without saying anything.

I held onto my side as I walked over to the field bench. Without caring that the cheerleaders were practicing a few feet away, I lifted my shirt to check if my left side was beginning to show any signs of bruising. No surprise to it—there was a line of purple bruises starting to line up from the side of my ribs to my hip.

It wasn't bleeding or anything, so I considered that a good sign at least. Well besides the fact that the pain was getting worse…

I got too caught up with the concern I didn't notice a few whistles from the nearby girls had been directed at me.

I had to look up and realize these girls were pointing and waving in my direction.

"What the-" I couldn't help give them a weirded out expression. Their attention was the least of my worries; it pissed me off more or so like it.

I clenched my fists on the hem of my shirt and roughly pulled my shirt down.

I remained seated while I waited for some chance that the pain might subside a little. I needed it to in order to continue this starting limit evaluation or whatever.

I glanced over my shoulder to see if the coach was still nearby, but he was actually busy talking to someone. He was talking to this person about me apparently because I watched as he pointed at me seconds later. They continued talking a few seconds more before they turned and headed in my direction.

As he got closer, the more he flipped through his clipboard. "Natsume Hyuuga?" He called me out.

I got up from the bench and walked around it to meet them halfway. "Yeah..."

"I'ma have this girl take you to the nurse's office to get you checked out alright?" He tipped his head in the girl's direction making me look to see who it was.

Yeah... just my luck… It was the very same chick that had hit me with her car earlier. And by the look on her face, she knew it too. It's as if she was trying to stare me down for some reason.

"Is there a problem?" The coach's voice caught our attention.

She immediately shook her head, "Nope, none what's so ever." She made a somewhat forced smile on her lips. "I'll take him right away."

Whatever, might as well go with it. At least it got me out of the evaluation.

I followed her a few steps behind towards the stadium exit. She was walking at a much faster pace than me, so I was slowly starting to fall behind since I couldn't move as fast- actually, I think I was getting slower.

I breathed out a deep breath and held onto my side to walk faster. Once I reached the end of the hallway, I turned into another hall to see her standing by near a door.

"You could have asked me to wait for you ya know?" She walked up to me.

I let out a sigh and walked past her. Wasn't that what she was doing just now?

I turned the handle to the office and pulled the door open. I walked in expecting to hear the door close behind me, but heard it creak open again.

"Is the nurse in?" I heard the girl behind me ask as she walked to the center of the room.

I glanced around and I noticed there wasn't anyone else in the waiting room.

"This is ridiculous. How can there not be anyone here?" I watched her cross her arms and walk past the right doorway. "Did everyone finish playing sick for the day? -Geez."

She returned back to the waiting room at the same time I carefully sat down on one of the many empty chairs. I sighed closing my eyes and leaned back all the way trying to keep my back straight.

"Uhmm... you don't talk much do you?" Her voice made me peek my right eye open to see her take the seat next to me.

Instead of answering, I purposely stood up and walked over to where the nurse's desk.

What- she expected me to make decent conversation after everything? The only reason why I was here in the first place was because of-

"It's my fault." I was surprised on how her tone of voice completely changed. I looked over my shoulder and noticed her sitting up straight with her head down making her hair cover her eyes.

"If I would've checked when I was backing out, you wouldn't hate me because of this." She sniffed while using the back of her hand to rub away the corner of her eyes.

...Hate? -Really? Is that what she thought? I tried not to laugh and waited to hear what else she had to say.

This girl was definitely on the dramatic side, but then again what chick isn't now a day?

"I mean come on- I must have made your first day at this school horrible! -And...and..." Her voice got to the point that it was shaky to the verge of crying. The whimpering she was making while trying to hold back her crying was only making me want to laugh even more.

Maybe I should have answered her question earlier, that way I wouldn't have to be hearing all this.

Alright, Alright... something to make her stop crying. I looked around the room for something that might help.

This should do. I spotted a jar full of different colored lollipops over by one of the medicine cabinets. I took out what seemed like a strawberry flavored one and walked over to her. Without trying to make my side hurt, I knelt down slowly in front of her to see if she was looking down. Getting a good look, I noticed she had her eyes pressed shut, and for some reason her nose was a rose pink. I think it was because she was holding back from crying, her eyelashes did have tear drops stuck on them.

I opened my mouth about to say something, but at the same time the front door opened taking my attention instead.

"I'm sorry did you two wait long?"

I'm guessing this lady was the nurse to this place. She didn't seem like it though; she seemed more like a college student.

"Or maybe I should have taken my time?" She commented before walking toward her desk.

Wait- I looked at the figure in front of me, and I noticed her shocked expression from seeing me kneeling in front of her.

...Yeah I guess this would look awkward. I slowly stood up while placing the candy on the chair's armrest.

At the same time the nurse walked back to us. "Mikan, did you fall again? What did you hurt now-"

"Oh uhmm no, it's not me this time." She whipped the corners of her eyes. "He got... injured, so I was told to bring him here."

For some reason the nurse circled around me once. "Well then, I need you to sign in and meet me in the next room." She handed me a clipboard. "Mikan, you look worried. Would you like to stay and wait?"

"I really shouldn't Ms. Serina. Misaki is leading the squad again today, and being gone this long already is bad enough. I should get going."

"If it helps, I can write you a note so Misaki knows where you were at?" The nurse insisted.

"Oh no its fine, really." I heard the crunching of the candy wrapper as she grabbed onto the armrests of the chair.

I handed the clipboard back to the nurse while I watched the other girl stand up with a confused look on her face.

"Well then Mr. Hyuuga, follow me into the next room so we can get you checked out." The nurse hugged the clipboard in her arms and walked away into the next room over.

I turned to leave without saying anything, but the chick next to me stopped me mid-turn. "Wait-" I looked back at her to notice her clutching the lollipop in both her hands. "Uhmmm... I-"

"Tomorrow." I finally talked. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I want my glasses back."

She nodded her head speechless and tried to hide her expression instead.

Without saying anything more, I turned to leave for the next room.

Now then, let's see what my real damage is…

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"Mikan, can't you just eat the damn thing? You've been fiddling with it since we got here!" Nonoko shouted since the blow dryer that was being used on her hair was really loud.

I didn't say anything and continued to twirl the lollipop in my hands while I waited for Anna and Nonoko at the hair salon.

This- he was planning on giving me this because I started crying. He wanted to cheer me up! How could I eat this? Call me weird but I was seriously considering keeping it instead.

I smiled thinking more into it.

"Look at her." Anna's voice called out to Nonoko. "She's smiling at a simple candy." Anna giggled.

Nonoko Smiled. "I think it's the thought behind it that's got her looking like this."

"You think so? Then that means someone must have given it to her..." Anna clued in.

"Oh I know!" Both Anna and Nonoko chime at the same time.

"Mikan?" Anna's voice caught my attention.

I had totally zoned out on everything they were talking about, "Yeah?"

"Ruka gave you that didn't he?"

Huh? No wait. "What-"

"No wonder you're holding it like that." Anna winked at me from the mirror in front of her.

They think Ruka gave this to me?

"So a lollipop can have so much meaning to you because he gave it to you?" Nonoko asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

I looked down at the candy in my hands making me smile yet again. "Crazy right?"

"Why don't you tell him how you feel already?" Anna also jumped into the questioning.

"Tell who how I feel?" I looked up confused. Wait, "What?" Did I seriously ask that?

I looked at the confused stares both Anna and Nonoko were directing towards me.

"You gotta be kidding me." Nonoko was first to speak.

"Mikan, Ruka didn't give you that, did he?" Anna's face went from confused to sad.

Me on the other hand, I seriously didn't know what to say. I'm confused enough as it is for questioning myself for something so small.

I...I... "Guys, how much is it for highlights in this place?" I quickly stood up and avoided the question. "I'm gonna go check up front."

I could feel their eyes following my every step.

"Hi how can I help you?" The lady behind the desk smiled at me.

I returned the smile. "I guess I'll be getting highlights in all of this." I pulled my hair to the front and show her my length.

What a way to avoid a topic.

Sorry hair...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Long chapter I know. I kinda got used to writing really long chapters because of my other story.**

**I REALLY REALLY want to hear on what your thoughts are on this. I know the characters are off, but drop me some hints to help me get them closer to their actual personas.**

**-oh and mistakes too. Please correct me if you see anything wrong ^ ^**

**Please Review and I hope to update soon.**


	2. It's All A Pain!

**Author's Note:**

**Hi everyone :D**

**Super glad on how my first chapter got a lot of views and received positive reviews. I say it's a pretty good start ^ ^**

**Thanks again to those who read and reviewed last chapter!**

**Enjoy XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own or have anything to do with Gakuen Alice, brands, and logos I mention.**

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

The last time I was this excited to get to school was I think my first day of school. And for some reason, it felt like another first day of school. I smiled at my length sized mirror while holding up a blouse to see how it looked on me.

My mind contemplated for a few seconds before realizing it wasn't quite right… like, did I really want to go with pink today?

It sure didn't seem like it…

I tossed the blouse on my bed and returned back to my closet in search of another style.

It was beyond my understanding why I was awake so early to begin with; a whole hour early to be exact.

And for some reason I was super picky about clothes! There was no end to it.

I switched in and out of clothes to the point that most of my closet was sprawled out on my bed.

In the end, I finally decided with a navy blue thin-strap shirt, a petite white cardigan, and combined it with a short jean skirt. I slipped on a pair of white low-heels and headed for my accessory drawer in my dresser.

A few silver bracelets and necklaces later, I approved at what I had on.

"Not too shabby." I smiled at my reflection. Not too obsessive and showy -it's just right- BUT...but, there was ONE thing that I still had some getting used to and that was my hair. Like it still bugged me on how light colored it got after blending in the new set of highlights.

This sucked! I just wasn't happy with it. I pouted at my reflection while ruffling the top of my head. What's happen, happened -not much I could do about it now. I flipped the long strands of my hair over my right shoulder and grabbed my phone before heading out of my room.

I walked down the small hallway and grabbed onto the wooden handrail before climbing down the narrow staircase. The instant scent of freshly brewed coffee tickled my nose as I heard movement coming from the kitchen.

I forgot I had woken up early enough to catch my mom and Narumi before they left.

I smiled walking past the living room and into the kitchen. "Morning mom. Mornin' dad." I glanced at both of them as I caught their surprised expressions. They didn't expect me up this early either.

"Wow this is a surprise." My mom's voice caught my attention. "What's the miracle that's gotten you up this early?" She smiled taking the heated kettle off the stove.

"No reason, I just... couldn't get much sleep that's all." I headed for the fridge and grabbed the carton of orange juice along with a tall glass cup before joining Narumi at the breakfast table. Narumi was drinking his coffee and skimming the morning paper.

I knew Narumi wasn't my real dad, but he sure seemed like it. He's been a part of my life for the majority of it and he wasn't a bad guy. He's kept my mom happy and he's been both caring and sincere to mom and me, so there really wasn't much to complain about him. Oh! other than the fact that he can be overly protective over me at times.

As for my real dad… there really wasn't much about him. I didn't know much about him to be honest. I didn't remember much about him or how he looked like. No pictures or even a name. My mom didn't like talking about him much, so the only thing I knew about him was that he was still around somewhere; just not sure where.

I pushed the remaining thoughts out of my head and focused on Narumi sitting across from me. He began folding his newspaper before meeting my stare. "Want me to fix you a quick breakfast before we leave?" He offered as he sat the paper down.

I shook my head, "It's okay, I'm not hungry." I smiled.

"Nonsense Mikan, you well know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What kind of a father would I be if I let you get away without eating anything?" He smiled at me as he fixed his shoulder length blond hair behind his ear.

I hesitated as I saw him get up and walk over to the stove. "But I'm not hungry." I whined again trying to convince him to stop.

"But you will be if you don't eat." He countered back.

I pouted. "Alright fine." I followed after him.

"Now was that so hard?" He teased.

I shrugged. "No, but you have to let me help then."

"Deal." He walked by me and headed for the fridge. "You look for the pan we make pancakes with and I'll look for the other stuff."

Just when me and Narumi finished making breakfast, my mom started putting all of her stuff away.

"Narumi we better get going if we don't want to be late."

"Just a sec Yuka. I want to see Mikan take her first bite before leaving." He placed the stack of three pancakes covered in syrup and strawberry chunks on the table.

I couldn't help giggle as my mom let out a frustrated sigh. Narumi and my mom were complete opposites.

I purposely cut into the stack of pancakes and took a bite. "There see? -I'm eating." I mumbled with food in my mouth.

Narumi smiled at my childish action before leaning down and kissing my forehead. "Have a good day at school okay." He ruffled my hair.

I returned the smile with my cheeks puffed up with food and watched them leave the kitchen.

I quickly swallowed my food since my mom was almost at the front door. "Bye mom, be safe 'kay." I called out making her stop glance back.

She didn't say anything but she smiled over her shoulder and blew a kiss at me before Narumi joined her.

I waited to hear the front door open and then close before eating the rest of my breakfast. For some reason, every bite I would take would make me think.

Ever since I could even remember, my mom had always been a busy body. She worked on the police force up until I was ten years old, before she met Narumi.

Now how was it that my mom and Narumi met? Well?... I guess I remember being told by them that Narumi was hired as the new active detective at our city's police station. The same station my mom was working at, at the time. In the end, my mom was promoted to become Narumi's assistant, and they both got close after that. Shortly after, mom married Narumi. We moved into his place; making us leave the small apartment I grew up in and leaving that part of my life behind.

Don't get me wrong, Narumi's house wasn't bad at all. It's a two story house, nothing luxurious or extravagant- just a simple house in a quiet neighborhood.

The only thing that's changed over the years was… both of them have their own office in the downtown area and working together as detective and sidekick. I guess I would consider us upper-mid class in the economic world.

-Oh and one more thing, I'm not really sure about this, but I have a feeling that they're hiding something from me. I didn't know exactly what, but there was more to their meeting than just falling for your co-worker.

I finished my breakfast around the same time I wanted to head to school already, so I started putting the dishes in the sink and getting my school bags from the coat closet.

Once inside my car, I started feeling the familiar butterflies in the pit of my stomach start up again. Up until now, I was able to distract myself from thinking about school.

I sighed trying to make the feeling go away. It's not like I'm going to do something impossible, I'm just simply going to return his glasses- nothing more.

"(Sigh)..." Nothing more.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

Two fractured ribs... my freakin' God, I didn't know this could be so annoyingly painful.

I pulled my shirt off and started to undue the bandages around the lower part of my chest. I grabbed the kit the nurse provided me with yesterday from the top of my dresser and sat it on top of the pile of clothes I decided to wear for the day. I'm up half an hour early to treat my wound in order to hide it from Youichi.

Once in the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and dropped my clothes along with the kit on the sink and walked over to the shower to turn the water on. I was about to pull the towel off the hanger, when my reflection on the mirror caught my attention.

"Son of a b..." I whispered looking at the reflection of the side of my stomach. The trail of bruises were a deep purplish-blue, red, swirl all together. Damn it's ugly. It trailed up from the side of my ribs all the way down to my hip bone.

Throughout the shower my side kept hurting by just the water hitting my side. First, I couldn't sleep because of it, and now I couldn't even enjoy a decent shower. I step out of the shower fuckin' annoyed as hell and started changing. Once I slipped my black jeans on, I started working on my bruised side.

I swear, it seriously took me longer to rub the treatment and wrap the bandages, then taking my shower. Finally, after securing the bandages properly, I hesitated trying to slip my shirt on. I unfastened the four small buttons down the neck part of my shirt and as slow as I could, I slipped the grey shirt on. The buttons only went down about a few inches down the front, so I ended up fastening the last two and left the top two undone. I ruffled my hair with the towel and grabbed my used clothes before heading out of the bathroom.

I just needed to grab my toothbrush and get my contacts before waking Youichi up.

* * *

The rest of the morning played out the same.

I got Youichi to school a few minutes early and waved at him from the sidewalk as he ran up the steps to his school.

I was kinda surprised about managing to drop him off with enough time to spare. It may not mean much to me, but I think I might get to school on time; hell maybe even a few minutes early.

I continued down my usual route to school as I began to notice students from my school collecting in front of me. It wasn't until I was about a cross-walk away from my school that I was surrounded by a huge group of people waiting for the light to change.

"Hi Mr. Hyuuga," A voice caught me by surprise. I had to look around before noticing the school's nurse standing on my right. "It's good to see you're well enough to attend school today."

I tipped my head down. It's not like I had much of a choice.

We both started walking after the crowd since the light just changed. "Well, if you have any troubles throughout the day you can always come find me in my office. -Oh and remember to stop by after lunch so I can check the swelling and I can give you a note to excuse you from your P.E class okay." And with that, she simply waved at me and disappeared into the crowd.

Strange nurse... a nurse that actually cared.

I started heading to morning class since there really wasn't much time before the first bell; maybe like ten minutes or something. And I didn't like being around crowded areas. It was something that always made me super uncomfortable. I didn't like meeting people's stares either so I always avoided it by focusing my attention to the floor.

Eye contact was something I learned to avoid the hard way. I learned to look away, and won't repeat my same mistakes again so long as I can help it. But I guess wearing fake glasses didn't help much since it only added to my insecurity of my eyes.

So much for that.

I reached my classroom shortly. I was about to reach for the handle when I felt someone crash onto my left side.

"Oh I'm sorry-"

My teeth immediately clenched biting back the pain. I hid the fact that it made me wince from the force impacting my bad side. I was about to turn away and ignore the girl, but stopped when I felt her hand linger on my arm.

"Well hello?" I look up to see the chick wink at me.

What the fuck? Really- this early? I shrugged my shoulder making her retreat her hand.

Instead of her taking the hint that I wasn't the least bit fascinated with her, she continued by twirling a short lock of her dark green hair around her finger. "I'm Sumire." She smiled. "You're in my-"

I didn't bother hearing the rest. Actually I questioned why the hell I was still standing there. I turned away and headed into the classroom without wanting to hear the rest.

If you ask me, I think its hella weird and uncomfortable to get hit on by a random chick so early in the morning.

I let out a sigh before looking around the empty classroom- well sort of empty. A blond guy with short hair and round glasses was busy arranging books at the front of the class, while a set of three other guys were sitting around the front isle waiting for the bell. Since they were in the front, I went for the opposite side and headed towards the back of the class. I sat my backpack down on the last table on the left and slid into the seat. I folded my arms on top of my backpack and looked forward to notice the three guys looking back at me.

I narrowed my eyes into a quick glare making them turn away quickly. Now what the hell was their problem?

I slowly leaned down and rested my forehead on my arms hoping time could just go by faster.

I breathed out a few deep breaths and close my eyes.

I was beginning to fall asleep when I felt something poke my shoulder. I opened my eyes and lifted my head up to see a hand pull back.

"I uhmmm..." The meek voice sounded familiar. I sat back up to get a look at the person. "I brought your glasses just like you asked." She slowly held them out to me.

I was about to reach for them, but I hesitated when I saw all the curious stares the people in our class were giving us. I was actually more surprised over the fact that it got packed in just a few minutes.

I grabbed my glasses out of her hands and stared up at her, "Do you know?" I began to ask but I could see she was surprised by my sudden question.

She tilted her head. "Know what?"

Hmmm, "…Nothing." I couldn't really tell whether she was playing dumb or not, "Forget it." In return she gave me a somewhat disappointed expression before walking around the back of my seat.

Now as for my luck, the same chick that hit on me a few minutes back just walked into class. And to this fucked up luck of mine, I saw her heading my way. I looked around for anyway of preventing her to sit next to me. I glanced over my left shoulder just in time to see the girl that had my glasses still at an arm's reach.

She was the only one too so to hell with it. I slid to the far left just in time to grab hold of her right wrist with my left hand. I didn't give her a chance to look back as I pulled her hard enough to have her fall back into the seat next to me.

I slid back quickly as I felt her somewhat land on my lap.

"Hey! What are you-"

I cut her off. "Don't move."

"Whaa?..." She made the attempt to stand up but I pulled her back down gripping her wrist tighter.

"Shut up and stay."

She looked around. "But why?- what's happening?" She whispered.

You gotta be shitting me? –Couldn't she just stay and shut up? So many fuckin' questions for something so little.

I took a deep breath instead to keep my cool and hinted her with my eyes in the direction the other chick was approaching us.

I waited to see if she caught on. Her eyes instantly widened followed by her sitting up straight.

About time she caught on. I turned to look away as the other chick stopped at the side of our table.

"Hi uhmm Shouda? How's it going?" The idiot next to me babbled out.

This girl couldn't be any more clueless. It even made me feel stupid for involving her to begin with.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" This Shouda person countered back.

I looked over just in time to see Shouda cross her arms.

"I'm sitting waiting for class to start. What about you?"

"Nothing, just wondering since you seem a little lost. Don't you belong over there with your fruity posse peeps?" Shouda pointed over her shoulder making both me and Sakura look past her towards the group of girls that have been watching us the whole time. I saw at a distance how the chick with the long black hair whispered something to the girl with the wavy pink hair.

Well this was odd? I didn't expect to see the chicks nod at something before picking up their backpacks and heading in our direction as well.

It didn't take them long to join us, "Wow Mikan, you could have told us we were migrating to the back of the class." The girl with the pink hair commented as she stepped past Shouda and slid into the desk in front of ours. The other girl with the long black hair glanced between me and Sakura without saying anything and followed her friend into the seat as well.

"Hey Anna, what about Imai? Is she going to stay over there by herself?"

The girl turned around just about to answer, but the final bell interrupted her instead. A couple of students filed into class followed by the teacher just as the bell finished ringing. One guy in particular caught my attention as he walked in since he kept staring at me as he went to his seat. His blond hair wasn't long enough to cover his eyes, making it seriously obvious that he was 'indeed' glaring at me.

Whatever. I shrugged it off and released Sakura's wrist since I was still holding onto it. I was expecting her to get up and leave right away, but she somehow didn't- I mean, the girl with the seaweed hair left as soon as the bell rang. So there really wasn't an excuse to keep her next to me.

So… again… why was SHE still here?

I grabbed my glasses off the table and intended to put them on, but stopped midways. I slowly turned to look to my left to notice the girl sitting next to me staring.

"What?" My voice startled her making her turn away.

"Huh? Oh uhmm sorry."

I continued catching her watching me a few more times but it didn't stop her, I plain out gave up and started ignoring her the rest of the time. Not only that, but the same blond guy that glared at me in the beginning continued glaring at me from in front of the class.

I was glad to hear the teacher close the lecture, since it was getting utterly annoying with these two. I didn't want to stick around much longer, so I quickly began putting my stuff away.

"Uhmm Hyuuga?" Her voice stopped me in the middle of zipping my backpack close. I glanced at her and notice her fumbling with her fingers. "It's just... I was wondering if you had anyone to sit with during lunch? -And I was kinda wondering if you didn't- then maybe you can go and sit with me and my-"

"No." I quickly finished closing my backpack and swung the strap over my right shoulder before the blond guy got to us.

I quickly turned to leave as he met up with the girl trying to follow after me.

"Mikan, what are you doing?" Those were his words as I got away and headed for the door.

Damn… it felt like she wasn't going to give up easily.

I brushed the matter aside and continued heading for my next class. My next class was on the first floor, so I started heading down the hallway towards the stairs. Once I reached the corner that led to the stairs, I was about to readjust the strap on my backpack when I felt an arm wrap around my neck from behind. It surprised me as I felt myself grab onto his arm out of pure reflex and tried to pull it off. This guy didn't make it easy, he made it even worse as he shifted his body weight back making me lean backwards with him

"You're way over your head, you know that?!" He pulled me back further squeezing his arm around my neck.

By the sound of his voice, it instantly gave away who it was.

I didn't… fuckin' need to guess who… this guy was! It was the same guy from class!

I felt myself clenching away my pain as it shot up the side of my neck and left arm. God damn this…

"What -you think I didn't see you guys yesterday?!"

So the fuck what- I didn't give a shit about his jealous antics! My side was- "Back... off..." I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

I was way over this freakin' pointless PATHETIC drama, and it was dragging more and more unwanted attention. A crowd of peopled had already formed around us.

I hissed out more pain as I continued trying to lean back against him.

My whole frame shook in a cold shiver as I felt the pain on my side shoot to the next level.

His left hand had purposely struck my bad side and clutched onto it.

This guy knew… he knew…

My eyes widened from the realization. How did he know my side was-

"RUKA!" A voice yelled out stopping the guy from tightening his grip anymore on my side. "STOP! Why are you doing this?"

I zoned in and out of their little conversation.

I was in too much pain to fuckin' pay attention to every little word exchange- fuck it. I was freakin' breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain dammit! And my breathing wasn't helping either. As much as I was trying to focus on numbing the feeling it wasn't happening.

I didn't focus back until I saw this chick Sakura suddenly stand in front of me and try to pull his hand away from my side.

Shit! I gritted my teeth and breathed out a painful growl as she only made it worse.

I couldn't take it anymore!

Oh screw this! I resorted to my last choice.

I started by shoving Sakura out of the way making her stumble into a group of people behind her before elbowing back with my right arm and feeling the guy's grip loosen around my neck. He still kept his arm around my neck while he stumbled back, so I took this as a chance and pushed backwards to slam him against the wall behind him. His back hit the wall finally letting me go.

Fuck this!

I dropped my backpack on the floor and turned to face him. Without hesitating I reached for the collar of his shirt and lifted him so that he was at his original height. "Fuckin' coward! How low can you fucking get?! She told you my side was hurting and you fuckin' take advantage of it!?" I let my anger spiral as I didn't hesitate to raise my right fist ready to swing it at his face. I wanted nothing more but to punch the living shit out of this guy's face, but instead I ended up getting tackled from my left by Sakura. She wrapped her arms around my chest making her body weight knock me over.

It caught me by surprise as she managed to get me off balance and on the floor.

The pain I felt that split second as we collided onto the floor was almost enough to black me out. It's not like I need my glasses, but I noticed I wasn't wearing them anymore. I opened my eyes slightly and to my regret, everything was hazy. I tried to narrow my eyes to make my vision focus.

"This..." I grunted. "This... is..." I tried to sit up, but I got shoved back down from two hands gripping my shoulders.

My eyes focused enough to see Sakura leaning down over me, holding me down. "No you can't! I won't let you!" She yelled at me as she shook her head.

I let out a pain filled sigh and focused my anger at her.

Yeah- I might be in a whole mess of pain right now, but to be stopped by a measly little girl? -NO FUCKING WAY!

I roughly grabbed onto her wrists and surprised her by rolling her over and pinning her underneath me. I readied myself about to yell at her, but I let out a long sigh instead.

...She was crying.

She turned her head away trying to avoid looking at me, so I purposely grabbed her chin forcing her to face me, "Look at me," I challenged her, but instead she pressed her eyes shut.

I took advantage of this and lean down so that I was few inches away from her left ear. "You piss me off..." I whispered into her ear as I released her.

I looked around from where I was holding her down, and notice my glasses were at a reaching distance.

Without trying to move my side much, I climbed off of her and retrieved my glasses.

I stood up as gently as possible as a few yelling freshmen ran across us, "Teachers guys! Get out. Go!" And just like that, everyone starts shuffling around trying to flee the scene.

I sat my glasses on and waited while I watched a few guys help the blond guy up. I still needed to get my backpack and since it was right around where he was, I waited for them to leave before kneeling down and picking up my backpack from the strap.

I was in the middle of standing up when a sudden sharp pain struck me hard. It pulsed down my side making my whole body lock in place.

…Fuck…

I could feel the cold sweat again building up with every pulse. My hearing was getting louder, while my vision got hazier. The footsteps of people running, the sound of whistles blowing, everything was starting to sound like an echo.

"-He can't get up!... get him...infirmary. Help me take..."

After that I couldn't remember much. All I could remember was feeling a group of hands helping me up, and walking somewhere. I didn't open my eyes until I was being laid down in what looked like the infirmary. Finally realizing where I was, my mind started blanking out, letting the pain knock me out completely.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

How can Ruka do this? I had been pacing around the waiting room in the nurse's office since the moment we got here. "I just don't get it." I huffed.

I was annoying myself with my thoughts and I was also annoying the rest of the girls too.

"Well walking around like an idiot won't do much either." Hotaru commented from the end of the room where Anna and Nonoko were waited quietly.

I quickly sat down next to Hotaru when the nurse practically ran into the room and towards her desk. We all watched in silence as she picked up her office phone and dialed a number.

"Yes Hello, this is Serina Yamada. I'm the Nurse at A.A.H.S..." All of us exchanged looks. Is she calling the hospital? "I have a student here in my office with symptoms of a Hemothorax..."

I look at Hotaru. "Hemo-what? What does that mean?- Is that bad?" I whispered.

"It means he's maybe bleeding internally."

I gasped loud enough to make Serina glance at me. She had to raise her free hand and signal me to be quieter.

"Yes." Serina answered into the phone. "Symptoms of low blood pressure, cool and clamy skin, and shallow breathing... Yes, he has two fractured ribs... Okay- less than ten minutes? Thank you." She hung up the phone and stared at us next. "You four, come over here."

All four of us got up from our seats and quietly walked over to her desk.

"Listen to me, you're not in trouble but I'm going to have to get all your names so that I won't forget who brought him in. I'm going to be leaving in a couple of minutes, so when I get back I'll be calling you four back in to hear how this happened." She handed us a blank sheet of paper and a pen.

Each one of us passed the paper around after signing our names.

"Miss Serina?" I passed the paper to Anna. "Is he going to be okay?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed with a hint of frustration. "It all depends really."

That answer didn't clear up anything. "Well is it okay if I go and see him?" I watched her take a few seconds before considering my request.

"Alright you can go, just don't wake him up."

I smiled at her in return before quickly walking to the other room. For some reason I found myself tip toeing over to the side of the bed where he rested.

I covered my mouth in shock of what I saw since his shirt was off. "How can he-" I whispered from behind my hands. The bruising was just unbearable!

I slowly reached down to touch his hand but hesitated. Wait- what am I doing? I didn't even know him. I shook my head and fought away the thoughts.

I decided to follow my instinct and cautiously grazed the top of his left hand with the tip of my fingers. I gently wrapped my fingers around his index and middle fingers to turn his hand around.

It was strange... like his hand felt cold yet sweaty. Without knowing it, my fingers had found their way through his fingers.

"What am I doing?" I whispered out loud to myself. The instant I started moving my hand, his fingers clutched my hand. This surprised me to the point that I almost had the urge to jump back.

I brought up my free hand and placed it on my chest as I strangely felt my heart pounding away. My heartbeat began racing as if I was running a marathon or something! It scared me. I even felt nervous! What the heck was this feeling?

I couldn't even tell whose hand was the sweaty one anymore.

My eyes widened when I felt him squeeze my hand tighter.

This was so awkward! Did he even know he was holding my hand or was the pain that bad?

"What are...you..." I heard him breathe out. I instantly looked over at him and noticed his eyes barely open.

Oh man, what am I going to do?-Does he know about me trying to hold his hand?

I glanced down at our hands before trying to release his grip.

"Whatever you...do, don't... call him." He clentched his teeth as he forced himself to speak.

Call who? "Call your dad?" I mumbled.

I panicked when I saw him try to sit up. "I would... never call him...that."

"Wait Hyuuga, you shouldn't move." I grabbed onto his hand with both of my hands. "Just- don't move, Miss Serina called an ambulance. They should be here any minute now."

"Mikan?" I looked over my shoulder, since I heard Hotaru calling from the other room.

I sighed in relief when I didn't see her waiting at the doorway. "What?" I called out. I waited for her to answer, but after a few seconds of silence, I decided it was best to go check.

I looked back at Hyuuga. "I..." I paused looking down at my hands still holding his. "...should leave."

I was about to let go of his hand but I stopped when I felt him squeeze my hand again.

"Wait." His voice was sterner this time.

At this point, my heart felt like it was doing flips up my throat! For God sake, I'm fully covered in goose bumps by just holding his hand!

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Uhmm what is it?" I mumbled looking down at the floor.

Every second that passed didn't help my racing heart as I waited in anticipation. The nerves kept building up as I expected to hear his voice. But when I started to feel his hand lessen his grip on my hand, I instantly looked up to see that his eyes were back to being closed. With the least bit of movement, I slowly moved my hand away from his.

He fell asleep…

"(Sigh)..." I walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down finally able to relax.

* * *

I couldn't convince Miss Serina about not informing Hyuuga's guardian about his condition -BUT after pleading and putting on as many sad faces I could muster, she told me if my parents could go instead and pretend to be his relatives, then she'll allow Hyuuga to explain everything to his guardian instead.

I instantly promised that she had my word, and that I'll have my parents go as soon as possible. Sooooo pretty much Miss Serina left with Hyuuga when the ambulance came, and my mom and Narumi agreed to meet with them at the hospital.

So as for me? -I'm still stuck at school with every class bringing up anxiety!

Come on clock GO FASTER! I tapped the end of my pencil on my lab table in chemistry as I watched every eternal second move the big hand on the wall-clock. This class seems to be going a lot slower than any of my classes so far. And I bet it's because it was my last class before lunch!

I was about to chew on the end of my pencil when I felt my phone vibrate making me drop my pencil on the table instead. It must be another text from Ruka. Throughout all my classes so far, I had been receiving text messages from him saying how wrong he was for acting the way he did; and other messages saying he really needed to talk to me.

I reached for my bag and took out my phone from the front pocket. I tapped the screen on my phone to light up the screen.

...Yup, another 'I-need-to-talk-to-you' message.

I let out a sigh and put my phone away.

I'm not going to deny it, I was pretty mad at Ruka for the way he reacted. Specially the part where he took what I said to his advantage and used it against Hyuuga. I seriously didn't think he would attack him after just ONE day. It's a real shocker to me because I had never seen this side of Ruka -EVER. He seriously had an ugly green monster inside of him and it was something to look out for.

The thoughts kept jumping around in my head, scrambling my mind more and more. I had to shake my head to stop the ambush.

One thing was for sure, I wasn't in the state of mind to face Ruka right now. I really just couldn't, because I knew if I did, I'd be too rash.

I... needed time to think things through. That way I won't regret anything I might end up saying.

At the beginning of lunch, I went to find Hotaru and the rest of the group. Anna and Nonoko weren't happy to hear that I was planning of skipping cheer practice and Hotaru pulled the usual by just walking past me. She always did this, whenever Hotaru didn't like something I was doing, she would flat out ignore me. But hey- at least I knew she cared right?

Now as for Anna and Nonoko, they never go against me. I don't know why, but they always keep those types of thoughts to themselves. -Alright, like once in a while one of them slips up and mentions something, but that's on the rare occasion. So I pushed my luck and tried to hide my frustration. "Come on guys, it's not like you guys don't know the reason."

"It's not about that Mik-" Nonoko pulled Anna by the arm making her stop mid-sentence. I saw the look on Nonoko's face and it's the 'let-her-do-what-she-wants' face.

Anna on the other hand glanced between me and Nonoko and decided to shake Nonoko's hand off of her. By this, Nonoko took that as a sign to step back. She meekly whispered a sorry before leaving in the same direction Hotaru did.

Wow, why are they so worked up over this? "Anna?" I signaled her to continue.

She took a step closer so she could stand right in front of me. "It's not for me to decide or tell you what to do, or shouldn't do. I would hate to control you Mikan; I would never want to do that-"

Hey wait- "I know Anna, why would you think that?"

She started fumbling with her fingers. "It's just... you've been weird since yesterday. And we think it's because of uhmmm Hyuuga."

I couldn't help let out a nervous chuckle. "I've been acting weird? Really?" I tried to play it cool. "How?"

"Well... Mikan, you just jumped into a fight between guys. -Ruka, you went against Ruka."

"Yeah, but I did it because Ruka started it." I sadly defended myself.

"Mikan, Ruka sensed what we've been sensing since this guy showed up. Like, I know -we're probably thinking too much into it now since it's only been two days, but I'm just simply letting you know what's going on."

No use hiding it. "I hit him with my car okay." I let out a sigh.

Anna's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

I leaned my back onto the lockers behind me. "Yesterday I was in a hurry to get Hotaru's crab meat salad, remember? -Well, I didn't look back when I was backing out and I hit Hyuuga with my car. There alright, I said it." I huffed crossing my arms.

"Is that why-"

"Yes." I interrupted her knowing what she was about to ask. "I've been feeling guilty over it, so..."

"You've been looking out for him, because of that then?"

For some reason I noticed I was stalling.

I finally nodded my head once before answering. "Yeah…" Wow, why did that feel like a lie? I mean, it was the truth. I shook my head getting rid of the thoughts.

"Mikan are you alright?" I guess she saw me fighting my thoughts.

"Anna, just do me a favor and don't tell Hotaru just yet. I think it's better if I tell her on my own, so if you tell Nonoko, tell her not to tell anyone okay?"

"Yeah sure." She smiled.

Geez, seeing her smile let me know I was in the clear. "I'm gonna get going 'kay. I'll let you guys know if anything happens." I quickly hugged her in one arm and said bye before heading towards the back of the school.

After taking a long walk around the school building, I finally reached the front parking lot. I had to take the back exit, since Ruka was probably out by the entrance.

Shoot, I was lucky to see that he didn't wait by my car or else...

I managed to get in my car and drive to the hospital in half an hour. I quickly checked in as a visitor at the front desk and asked for the designated room. A walked a couple hallways and took the elevator to the third floor before seeing my mom in a waiting room.

"Mom?" I lightly ran over to her.

"Mikan? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" My mom stood up from her seat.

I simply shrugged. "I want to be here. Besides, I'm only missing practice." Even so, my mom still didn't look happy.

She stopped in front of me and crossed her arms. "Mikan, you know Narumi is too soft on you. He does anything you ask him for, and it seems like you know this too. That's why you called his cell and asked this favor of him, so he won't say no unlike me. So tell me again why we had to cover as your friend's family?"

I averted my eyes to the ground after getting scolded. "Mom..." I started tracing circles with one of my legs on the floor. "He was really hurt, and it was sorta my fault. So when he told me not to tell his dad, I felt like it was a chance to make it up to him."

I felt my mom's hand tip my chin up so that she could see my eyes. "Listen you're not in trouble okay. It's just that involving both me and Narumi in something like this, is-"

"I know." I mumbled. "It's not really me making it up to him."

I saw my mom smile. "Exactly."

I took the moment to sit down and explain to my mom why I was guilty about all this, and I noticed her fighting the urge to yell at me. She quickly raised her hand stopping me after the part of the fight today, and told me she'll deal with it when we get home. Meaning, I'm for sure grounded, or I'm not going to be seeing my car in a long time.

My mom switched the topic by mentioning how Hyuuga was doing. "So I'm guessing you know about his condition from yesterday, since it was you who hit him."

I sadly nodded my head without a word.

"Well, the boy has- or should I say had two fractured ribs on his lower left side, since he ended up breaking them causing one of them to make contact with his spleen."

My eyes widened as I sat up straight. "Is he okay?"

"Let me finish." She raised her hand slightly. "It wasn't bad as to say it punctured the organ, but it did cause noticeable trauma to it making it bleed. The good news is, he didn't have to go through a major surgery or any of that type of thing. They only had to make an incision and drain the unwanted fluid before fixing the two ribs back in place. Actually now that I think about it, it was a bit over two hours. He's been awake ever since."

I quickly stood up from my seat. "Can I go see him?"

My mom gave me a curious look before answering. "Yeah... just head down this same hallway and make a left on the third door. Your school nurse should be there too."

"What about Narumi? Is he there?" I asked.

"I told him to stay put in the office while I took care of your little ordeal."

I smiled. "Thanks mom." I hugged her before turning to leave down the hallway she pointed at.

By the time I reached the designated room, I noticed the door was a bit open.

I stalled a bit contemplating whether to knock or just walk in casually…

I closed my eyes and breathed out a long sigh. There wasn't much too it, so I knocked on the door twice and slowly pushed it open. "Sorry, can I come in?"

"Yes, come right in." I heard Miss Serina's voice call out.

I pushed the door more letting myself in.

I walked in at the same time I saw Hyuuga sitting up on the side of the bed as an injection was being stabbed into his left arm. The sight alarmed all my senses, like tut of instinct I hugged the heck out of the side of the doorframe and pressed my eyes shut tight.

God, I hated needles! -the whole injection, needle, and syringe combination panics me out!

I heard footsteps walking towards me. "Mikan, are you alright? You're acting as if you're standing at the edge of a cliff." I felt Miss Serina grab hold of my shoulder.

I nodded my forehead on the doorframe. "I can't stand... needles. They -they creep me out okay."

"Here, it's alright." She placed her hands on my arms. "Let's just get you to sit down over here." She slowly led me towards one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

In the middle of sitting down, I glanced over at Hyuuga and the doctor and surprisingly noticed both of them struggling not to laugh.

I pouted crossing my arms.

They were so mean! How can they think my phobia was funny?

"Alright Mr. Hyuuga," The doctor clicked the needle into the barrel of the syringe. "I heard from your aunt earlier about letting you leave any time soon, am I correct?"

Hyuuga didn't say anything and nodded his head once.

I see the doctor crossed his arms. "Well I'm sad to say you won't be able to leave for at least another three hours. I really-"

"Wait, three hours?" Hyuuga didn't sound the least bit happy to hear this. "I can't stay for another three hours. I have to go..." He didn't finish his sentence and looked away frustrated.

"I should really be keeping you hear until six, but I'm telling you, you should be able to leave around three instead." The doctor let out a sigh before continuing. "Tell me son, what has you in a hurry? Is it a job? Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

After a moment of silence, Hyuuga battled off the barrier and admitted, "It's my kid brother alright. I was supposed to pick him up half an hour ago." For some reason, Hyuuga sounded as he if was defeated somehow.

Subconsciously, I stood up in an instant. "I'll pick him up!" Everyone looked at me for a few seconds making me feel a bit out of place. "That's if you don't mind, that is..."

The doctor was first to react. "See that? You need to stop worrying." He smiled.

We all waited for Hyuuga to say something, but instead he caught everyone off guard when he asked for a pen and paper.

I walked towards them in a slow pace as the doctor handed his clipboard to his patient.

I watched nervously as Hyuuga wrote down a few lines on the white sheet of paper.

"Here." He folded the paper in half and held it out to me.

"What is it?" I slowly reached for the paper even though it was completely obvious my hands were shaking.

"The directions to the school. He should be waiting in the front."

How am I supposed to know how he looks like? "Uhmm does he look like you?"

"No." He answered.

Then how am I supposed to know?

"His name is Youichi." He leaned over towards the side table and grabbed his glasses. "He recognizes these anywhere. Show them to him."

Couldn't he just tell me how he looked like? This time I tried to keep my hand from shaking by quickly grabbing the glasses. "I won't take long okay, sooo rest up alright." I glanced up from the ground to sneak a glance at his eyes, but I quickly regretted it when I locked eyes with him.

My heart suddenly leaped startling me at the same time. "I'm gonna just...go." I quickly turned to leave since this uncomfortable feeling was making less and less sense.

As I closed the door behind me, I recalled what Anna had said earlier….

Oh man, I think I'm beginning to see the weird part she was talking about.

* * *

After telling my mom where I was heading, I left the hospital. It wasn't really hard to find the school Hyuuga mentioned. It was actually pretty easy. The only bad part about it was that I had to drive through a pretty bad neighborhood to get there.

I slowed my car down to a stop by the sidewalk and turned it off once I reached the school. I quickly walked around the front of my car and step onto the sidewalk.

This should be the school.

I walked over to the front steps of the school and noticed a little boy sitting on the first step.

Oh God, how long has he been waiting? I quickly took out my phone from my left side pocket and looked at the time; Almost a whole hour and a half.

I was expecting to find a little boy version of Hyuuga. The black hair and blue eyes, but instead I found a really light-blond boy with steel blue eyes. He looks nothing like Hyuuga. Am I sure this is him? -I mean, there's really no one else around.

I let out a sigh. Alright how about this, I'll just ask him first before I start running around like a crazy person.

"Hi uhmm Youichi?" I raised the pitch in my voice making it evident that I wasn't sure if it was him.

The little boy glanced up at me.

Why isn't he answering? "Is your name Youichi?" I asked again.

This time he nodded his head once.

Wow, no way? This was Hyuuga's little brother? He looked nothing like him. Even so, I couldn't help smile. I took the chance that he was still sitting down, so I sat down next to him. "Do you recognize these?" I took out the glasses and show them to him.

I wasn't expecting him to snatch the glasses out of my hands.

"They belong to your brother right?" I reassured.

He nodded again without saying anything. "Alright then," I stood up. "I know you've been waiting for a really long time here, so I'm gonna take you to your brother okay? He told me to come get you." I extended my hand out to him.

Instead of him taking my hand, he picked up his backpack next to him and stood up by himself.

(sigh)... I should have known better. I learned this from Hyuuga, so I should have expected it from him.

* * *

**Crazy how Ruka acted right? -well I was thinking that since he has no ties with Natsume like in the anime/manga I figured he wouldn't hide his jealousy. So giving you a heads up on the competitiveness that's yet to come :D**

**Like I said before, I'm really glad about how many reviews the first chapter received, so I got working on this chapter right away lol**

**I hope it was just as good as the first, and I was fighting between posting before exams next week, or posting after? -So I went ahead and decided to post before.**

**I hope to hear from you guys so review or PM.**

**let me know what you guys think **

**oh and one last thing before I quit my rambling. I had to do a bit of research to get Hyuuga's condition acurately. so I think that's why it took me so long to write this chapter lol**

**I hope I got it right XD**

**THANKYOU!**


	3. Rude Reunion

**I know because of the last chapter, some of you are wondering if Ruka and Mikan are an official couple. Well in this chapter I'm going to explain their situation. Now remember, in this story Ruka and Natsume have never met or ever crossed paths, so Ruka doesn't have any sincerity or sympathy towards Natsume ^ ^**

**I wish I could answer all your questions right now but then it wouldn't be fun to read my story lol**

**Hope you enjoy! XD**

**Oh and one last thing... I don't own or have anything to do with the brands, logos, and stuff like that that I mention throughout my story. Same goes with Gakuen alice, I don't have anything or own anything that has to do with them. **

**sorry, I don't want to get in trouble lol**

**CARRY ON! :D**

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

_Wednesday...Thursday...Friday..._

I counted off the days that were -of course- obvious that Hyuuga was going to be absent. That's why when next week came around, I secretly waited anticipated for him to show up. Silly me though, not ONE single day of the week did he show up!

Hyuuga has been nothing but a pain since the first day. And the stupid part was… he didn't even have to be here to keep me on edge!

I sighed sitting down in my usual seat for my morning class. It was Friday again and there was still no sign of him.

The same goes with Ruka. My mind thought back to last Friday when I confronted him during last period. I really expected him to be angry, but surprisingly he wasn't upset at all- actually he was 'too' understanding. Kinda caught me off guard, because I took a whole week to build up the courage to confront him. Like seriously, I was expecting anger, fighting, yelling, something! BUT NO, he simply brushed the matter aside, and ended the conversation by telling me to look for him when I'm ready to move forward. "Hmm..." something else that's also messing with me. What did he mean by, 'moving forward?' There were two ways I could interpret that. One way was by letting this whole issue thing behind us, or the second way which he could also mean moving forward-forward like more than talking terms. Could he possibly mean...

I chewed on my bottom lip feeling the frustration build up. I haven't told him an answer, so for the past week, he's kept his distance, and I've kept mine.

"Mikan~?" Anna's voice sang my name out. I looked over just in time to see Anna hop to a stop next to my table.

I smiled up at her. "Anna, hey whatsup?"

She rolled her eyes. "The ceiling, duh-" she let out a playful giggle.

That's not what I meant. I returned the eye roll and held back the frustrated sigh. "Ha-ha," funny.

"Come on Mikan," she crossed her arms, "I'm only trying to make you laugh. You've been really tense lately."

I sat up. "That's not-"

"Do NOT deny it missy," she leaned down and pointed directly at me with her index finger touching the tip of my nose, "but anyways, just wanted to know if you were up for the sleepover at my place tonight after the football game. Most of the squad agreed to go already."

"What about Hotaru? -Is she going?" I asked since Hotaru isn't in the squad.

"Well... I was thinking of asking her right now too, but she's yet to show up, so tell her for me 'kay?"

I nodded my head and smiled. "Okay. I'll let her know."

* * *

I didn't see Hotaru in any of our classes. Which means she was probably caught up in her Tech-Engine club.

I had to wait till lunch to stop by.

I pulled the door to her club room open and let myself in with the least bit of noise. The first thing I noticed was a group of people huddled up around one of the center tables.

Should I go over there? -I mean they looked busy, and I think Hotaru is leading the group. So I cancelled out that idea and waited by the door for Hotaru to notice me instead.

After waiting around for about a minute or so, I saw Hotaru leave the group and remove her protective gear while walking towards me.

Slowly lifting my right hand, I waved.

She stops in front of me pulling her gloves off.

"I knew I would find you here." I smiled.

She nodded, "Yeah, we got caught up in a experiment, but we're close to finishing up. What brings you here?"

Okay, "I stopped by to ask if you want to go with me to Anna's sleepover. She's been inviting all the girls from the cheer squad, so she asked me to find you."

"I'm not a member of the cheer squad though. Why should I go?" She crossed her arms.

"Oh come on Hotaru, that's not an excuse." I leaned against the door, "take a break for once and go with me. Please?" she's such a workaholic.

"That's a dumb way to put it. But I'll think about it. I'd rather finish this up before thinking about taking a break."

I let out a sigh. "Alright, that's fine too."

I should get going since I'm only slowing her down right now. "Then I'll call you after the game, and you let me know then?"

"Alright."

I quickly pushed the door open and waved bye before leaving.

I relaxed once I heard the door close behind me. Hotaru's too serious for a sixteen year old. She really shouldn't be like this, but then again, if she were to change her personality in the slightest way, she wouldn't be the Hotaru I grew up with.

I do hope she decides to go though; it's been a while since I've hung out with Hotaru after school.

* * *

Now then since it was game night, we didn't have to practice after lunch like every usual day. Instead, we all had to change into our black and red cheer uniforms and got ready for the Junior Varsity game which starts right after school.

I'll admit, the J.V team doesn't really get that big of a crowd, but being there to cheer for them, helps both their motivation and our performance.

The hours flew by as the J.V team took up the field. The night began to grow chilly as the moon began to claim the sky.

We all cheered as the final whistle blew, signaling the end of the J.V game. Our J.V team bringing victory to us yet again, excited the crowd even more for the next game to come.

The Varsity game started full speed. Both teams going neck to neck throughout the first half.

By the look on everyone's faces, and I mean even the people on the bleachers, were frustrated by the progress of the game.

"Come on Nogi," Kokoro disappointedly shook his head as he approached Ruka on the side, "you know I can't complete the passes if you keep throwing those massive passes." He sighed while taking a seat on the edge of the bleacher.

I was close enough to hear Ruka respond, "you know it happens when I get frustrated, Yome." My lips tipped to a frown hearing how upset and impatient he sounded. Poor Ruka, the pressure must be getting to him right now. But both him and Yome are expected to play an ace game every time they step onto the field, since they're the only Sophomores on the Varsity team.

Halftime was over as quick as the rest of the game progressed. Everyone stood up as Ruka threw the last pass of the game that could either be our win or our loss.

It's as if everyone held their breath, because I'm pretty sure I was holding mine. We watch eagerly as Yome sprinted down the right flank.

"No way..." I mumbled to myself seeing how far the pass had already gone. There's no way Yome would be getting that pass.

I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh. It wasn't even a second later when I hear the whistle blow, followed by the sound of the crowd moaning in disappointment.

Everyone started to gather their things since the game was over. The football players met their friends on the sideline, and the parents and students started to leave the bleachers. I was too distracted by the moving of people, I didn't sense someone approaching me from the side.

"Sucks right?" The voice sighed.

I looked instantly recognizing the voice. Ruka?

"Not like I could have passed the ball any closer since that would have been a lesser chance of completion." He grunted while removing his solid black helmet. "But oh well, maybe our luck changes for the homecoming game." With the back of his hand, he wiped away the beads of sweat off his forehead.

I was too busy watching his every move, I didn't reply to anything he said.

"Still not talking to me huh..." he smiled at me for some reason. "You're awesome you know that?"

I tipped my head to the side, totally confused.

"I'll apologize to the new guy when he comes back. I promise alright, but you gotta start talking to me when I do okay? I feel like I'm dying at a slow pace because of you..."

I couldn't help but return the smile. I opened my mouth about to say something, but I heard Sumire's voice yelling for me from across the field.

"Hey Sakura! You're phone's been ringing like a CRAZY mother-effer and no one can make it SHUT UP!"

I crossed my arms and pouted to her rudeness. Ruka on the other hand, let out a chuckle. "You better go get that, before she hacks away on your locker."

I waved at him as I turned to leave in the direction of the locker room.

Oh crap! It better not be Hotaru!

* * *

I hopped in my car alone, since Hotaru said she'd rather just meet me at Anna's place. She called to tell me she was already on her way. And since I was one of the last people to leave the school, they made me the errand girl!

I decided to drive up to the closest market, while Nonoko, Sumire, and Misaki headed to the pizza parlor in uptown.

Once I pulled into the parking lot, I hesitated not wanting to get out of my car since the neighborhood looked pretty bad. I made sure to park as close to the store and where it was well lit.

Now what was it that they wanted me to buy? I pulled out one of the carts from where they're kept, and head into the store. I don't really remember all the items, except for Hotaru's favorites, and the ice cream?

After a minute of trying to remember what kinds of chocolates, or what brand of cookies, I started to wander around the many isles looking for junk food.

I finished placing a few bags of Cheetos and Doritos into the cart when I saw a little boy at the end of the isle looking at me from around the corner. It was as if he's trying to hide himself from me. I could only see half of his face sneaking a peek at me.

Little kid trying to mess with me.

I brushed the matter aside since it was just a little boy trying to have a little fun in the grocery market.

I smiled and continued my shopping without going after the little boy. After looking down the next three isles, the same little boy would be waiting at the opposite end.

This kid... he was really starting to creep me out. He's only following me around! There were other people here too ya know, so why is he only going after me?

I stopped at the end of the next isle and plan my next move. Either I could keep ignoring him or I could catch him? I at least want to see how he looks like!

Alright, got it! I know what I'm gonna do!

I centered the shopping cart on the next isle and gave it a big push so it traveled on its own while I hide myself on the end of the isle. I stopped myself from peeking when I heard the small footsteps running in my direction. I bit my lip once I realized it was any second now.

This was it! I can see his shadow peeking around the corner. I hop out and grab his shoulder, "Gotcha you little wierdo!"

Wait...

I know this little boy. Silver blonde? Steel blue eyes? This little boy is-

"Youichi?" A guy's voice called out a few isles down.

Hyuuga? I let go of Youichi's shoulder at the same time he appeared at the same end of the store as us.

My heart instantly raced when I saw him walking towards us. It's been so long since the last time I saw him... it almost felt like I missed him?

Once he stopped in front of Youichi, silence crept up.

"You work here?" My voice trailed out on its own since I noticed he had the uniform on like all the other employees.

I covered my mouth, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask something so random."

If I remembered correctly, Youichi is the little boy that doesn't have a voice and from what Hyuuga's told me, they aren't blood related; which explains why they didn't look anything alike.

"Youichi, go back to where I told you to wait, just an hour or so before we can leave." Hyuuga grabbed Youichi's hand and tried to pull him away.

A smiled crept up on my lips when I saw Youichi grab onto the edge of the corner isle making it obvious that he didn't want to leave.

"I could watch him?" I offered before even thinking through the idea. "Uhmmm, you do get out soon anyways right?"

"No." He didn't even hesitate. "Don't bother."

I crossed my arms, "Did you not hear me offer just now? It's not a bother at all," I smiled, "why don't we ask Youichi if he wants me to stay or leave- since he IS the one that has to put up with me."

Hyuuga glared at me because of what I said, but allowed me to continue.

I took it as a sign to ask Youichi, so I knelt down to his eye level. "Youichi, would you like for me to keep you company while your brother finishes up work for the night?" I smiled when I saw him nob instantly.

I stood up straight and my smile grew bigger when I saw Hyuuga turn away and leave. I waved at his retreating back even though he wasn't even looking in my direction. "Come on Youichi let's get us some junk food while we wait."

* * *

I was sitting with Youichi at the bench in front of the checkout area. It had been around an hour and a half and Hyuuga still hasn't been able to get off work. We've been through fudge ice cream pops, chocolate pretzels, uhmm Skittles, and a bag of Hot Cheetos to kill time.

I felt bad for Youichi though, because all I've been doing is ramble off about whatever comes to mind, and he has to put up with it and listen. Does he even like me talking to him? -Well at least he's more approachable than his brother. That's for sure!

I checked the time on my phone, and it was already close to ten. I'm still supposed to go to the sleepover after this. Like, I've been ignoring the text messages and the incoming calls this whole time, so I'm for sure positive I'll be getting in trouble.

About ten minutes later, we both saw Hyuuga walking towards us no longer wearing his work clothes. Back to his usual black clothes.

He didn't say anything and sat down on Youichi's other side.

Me, being always the brave one to start the conversation, sat up and asked him, "So your parents let you have a part-time job while going to high school at the same time?" That was pretty cool.

He looked at me from the corner of his eyes as he re-adjusted his glasses, "More like I don't have a choice."

No way... his parents actually made him work? "So you're being forced to work?"

He crossed his arms instead of answering.

"Well how long have you been working here?" I ask another question instead.

"Three days..."

This guy... so instead of staying home like he was told to do, he was out looking for a job? Wow- what a busy body. "Uhmm then your injuries should be okay now right?" I paused remembering something important.

I still had to say sorry, and this was like the closest opportunity I was going to get!

I shifted on the bench so that I was half turning in his direction. "Look, I know this is out of nowhere and totally random, but I still haven't apologized to you-" I stopped midsentence as he turned away like if I said something wrong. Is apologizing not going to cut it for him? I bit my lip frustrated.

You know what? Fine, at least I tried saying sorry to him. "Well..." I gathered my things and stood up, "I could tell you're only going to ignore my apology, so why bother getting it out into thin air if you're not even going to listen." I walked over to my shopping cart next to us and started pushing it towards the exit.

"I feel bad for Youichi for putting up with a brother like you." I mumbled as the sliding doors to the exit opened.

"And I really don't care what you think." Hyuuga's voice startled me from behind.

I pulled my cart to a stop right outside the store. Oh crap, I thought he stayed behind. Should I apologi- no, that'd be a waste. Should I explain myself?... I don't think he'll listen.

I glanced to my side when I saw both of them about to walk by me. "You know what?" I spoke up making them stop a few steps ahead, "I won't come up with this made up excuse about what I said or even try to apologize for the matter," I shrugged, "like you said, it's not like you care right?" I paused considering the next thing I'm about to ask. "-Oh but one thing isn't not quite right..." I walked around the side of my cart so that I was standing a few steps behind them, "Why are you still standing there listening to me?" I crossed my arms feeling like I had won the upper hand.

He didn't say anything but my jaw almost dropped when I saw him smirk at me over his shoulder instead.

Geez- he totally suckered me out with that! The hopeless romantic in me practically made me freeze in place. That's the closest thing to a smile I've ever seen on his face.

My state of shock didn't last long though since my phone started vibrating in my bag. I quickly dug into my purse to look at the caller ID before dropping it back.

I looked up to see Hyuuga walking towards me, "you should hurry and get out of here." We both stopped and watched the next two cars that entered the parking lot to this store and sped by us. I noticed one of the cars park about three slots away from my car and the other car on the next lane.

I spared a glance at Hyuuga since he looked unsure of something.

"Where did you park?" His question made me blink twice. "Let's go. Something about these guys isn't sitting right with me." He mentioned as he walked over to my cart and starts pushing it for me.

"Uhmm over there." I pointed towards the direction of the pearl white m3 BMW.

"Shit that's close to them." He whispered. "Just stay close." I nodded grabbing Youichi by the hand.

"Alright." I didn't know why Hyuuga is on edge all of a sudden.

Does he know something?

We both kept our eyes set on the two cars since someone was yet to come out of either car. What's going on?

By the time we reached my car, I had already clicked the alarm off.

"Watch Youichi while I place your things inside." Hyuuga didn't waste any time on opening the passenger door before grabbing a few bags at a time and placing them inside.

I waited next to the cart with Youichi to make sure we're in Hyuuga's sight, since he sounded concerned for some reason.

Hyuuga finished setting the last few bags inside my car at the same time we heard the door to one of the suspected cars open. I glanced to the other car on the lane over to see that door open as well. It wasn't until we both heard a loud click type noise come from the car next to us that made our adrenaline spike.

The sound was that of a gun barrel being loaded.

"GET DOWN!" Hyuuga kicked the cart making it tip over and crash to the ground at the same time I pulled Youichi to the ground. I shield his head with my arms and tried to cover most of his body with mine. Oh my God! I cover my mouth to stop a scream building inside of me. I flinched when I see Hyuuga's right arm cover both mine and Youichi's head. His back was facing the cart making him both our shield.

We both flinched this time hearing another series of gun shots blaring through the air followed by the sound of glass shattering. "Face the ground! Don't look up!" Hyuuga's voice commanded at the same time I felt his arm press my head down.

I gasped when I heard a sharp metal sound come from the cart. A helpless whimper escaped me bringing a wave of shivers along with it. Holy crap! I can't tell whether I got shot or Hyuuga. I shut my eyes tighter when we hear the sound of tires peeling out and the sound of cars speeding away.

We stayed on the floor until the sounds of both cars weren't audible anymore.

Hyuuga was first to move, "It's okay we can move now." He walked over to my car and slid down the side of it to bring himself to sit down against it.

I slowly sat up with Youichi clutching his arms around me. "It's... alright Youichi," my voice came out so shaky, "We're okay."

I could feel the adrenaline rush leaving my body making my whole body break into a shivering state. After standing up slowly, my legs felt like complete jello. At a slow pace I took about three steps over towards my car and practically collapsed next to Hyuuga with Youichi on my lap.

"The sirens are getting closer." Hyuuga sighed.

I didn't even notice the sirens of the cop cars getting closer, and I definitely didn't expect Youichi to detach himself from me and go over to Hyuuga's far side.

The sudden sting in my eyes and the knot in my throat felt like they doubled up.

I brought up my knees and wrapped my arms around them before placing my forehead down.

I was still so scared about what just happened...I-

Hyuuga's hand grabbed onto my shoulder making me look up at him. His hand slipped down to my forearm before feeling him gently tug me toward him.

The knot in my throat finally broke loose and the sting in my eyes became blurry. He pulled me into his chest as I broke down crying. I clutched his shirt from behind him as I buried my face onto his chest making my whimpers less audible.

I continued sobbing into his shirt with my arms tightly around him. He had one arm around my shoulders and the other holding onto Youichi next to us.

"The cops will be here any minute now." I heard his voice hum from inside his chest. "We're gonna tell them we didn't see or hear anything alright? We weren't here."

I slowly pull away from him, "Wait... why aren't we going to say anything?" I used the back of my right hand to wipe away my eyes.

"They saw us," he simply answered.

My mind instantly thought back to the part when both cars drove past us. "I see..." My voice trailed off.

"So we have to calm down and relax or else they won't believe a single word we say." He says before ruffling Youichi's hair.

For some reason the 'we' part brought comfort to me, since he included himself as well.

A few minutes went by before we all relaxed enough to stand up and examine ourselves.

"Anyone hurt?" I asked as I checked my legs and arms.

Hyuuga didn't bother checking if he got hurt, instead he examined Youichi.

"Is he okay?" I took a step closer to them.

"Yeah, he's fine. No scratches or anything."

I watched him stand up and sigh in relief.

"What about you?" He asked while walking over to the cart and picking it up.

He's asking how I am? I couldn't help the small happy feeling in the corners of my lips. "Uhmm yeah. I'm fine, nothing serious."

"You sure?" He started walking towards me.

In return, I quickly looked down and nodded, "Yup, I don't really see anything."

"Then let me see you're right arm." He stopped in front of me.

My right arm? I didn't see any cuts on it? Hyuuga didn't wait for me to give him permission on whether to let him see my arm or not. He simply reached for my arm on his own account and turned it so that he can see my scrapped up elbow.

Oh… I looked away and pouted. I guess I missed a spot.

"Do you have anything to wrap it up in real quick? It won't be long before the cops show."

I nodded, "Yeah my car should have an emergency first aid kit." I walked over to the passenger side of my car and pull the door open. If I remember correctly, it should be in the glove compartment.

"Yeah, here it is -found it." I grabbed the yellow box and placed it on top of my car before looking inside of it.

Wow, this was pretty neat. Never really looked inside of it before, I mean this thing even has a portable rain coat.

I shook my head, alright no time. I grabbed the small tube of disinfecting spray and a large Band-Aid. "This should do."

Alright how do I get this thing on without looking? I folded my arm in two different ways before glancing at Hyuuga for help.

"Here," he held out his hand so I can hand him the spray and the Band-Aid, "Put your arm straight."

I nodded putting my hand on top of the car to keep the rest of my arm straight. As soon as I heard the spray go off twice, I hissed out feeling the burning sensation on my elbow.

"Hold still," He placed the spray back in the box and grabbed a vacuum sealed alcohol swab, "This one's gonna hurt more, so try not to move." I hear him tear the small package open.

Dammit! I shut my eyes tight. Does he have to tell me?

I crushed my eyes even tighter and hummed the pain out through my nose as the stinging evolved to another level.

Strangely, I began feeling a small cold breeze blowing on my burning elbow. I blinked my eyes open to see Hyuuga leaning down and blowing on it gently.

Oh wow...

I quickly turned away feeling my cheeks warm up. And plus, I definitely had to hide the smile that was beaming from me.

"A few of my germs won't kill you," He commented while feeling him stick the Band-Aid on. "Do you have a sweater or something to cover it up?"

We both turned to look at the parking lot entrance to see three cop cars turn in.

"Yeah, I have my cheer jacket in the back seat." I quickly pulled the back door open and reached for my jacket, at the same time Hyuuga focused on putting away the aid kit back in my car.

"I'll throw this away while they get here." He walked off leaving both me and Youichi by the car.

Shortly after the third cop car reached the front of the store, I saw a familiar black Lincoln MKZ pull into the parking lot as well. "Uh-oh."

I looked over my shoulder to see Hyuuga join us back.

All three cop cars stopped at the front of the store, while the black MKZ made its way directly towards us.

"Uhmm Hyuuga?" I started to talk before the black car reached us, "I know I haven't talked to you enough to tell you my parents used to be cops, but yeah... they sometimes get cued in."

Hyuuga nodded, "that does change things," he crossed his arms, "Look, tell them you'll tell them what really happened when you get home. So for now, just tell them not to ask you questions."

"Alright." I whispered since I see Narumi just got out of the driver side followed by my mom getting out of the passenger side.

"Mikan?" My mom rushed over to my side, "what in God's name are you doing here? Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is?"

"Yes mom, I just had to buy something with my friend real quick." I sighed playing it cool.

She glanced from me to Hyuuga then to Youichi, "Are you three okay? Did you see or hear anything suspicious?"

I shook my head, "No- uhmm actually..." I paused taking a deep breath, "is it okay if I tell you the whole story when we get home?"

My mom gave me a confused look in return, "Oh no... don't tell me you three were caught in the middle of it?"

I raised my index finger to my lips, "Shhh, I really just want to get out of here mom, can we please cover this when I get home? Please?"

"Yuka, we should check with the people inside. We'll ask Mikan about what she saw when we get home."

"Yeah okay." She answered giving me a quick kiss on the forehead and directly pointing me, "I want you home first thing in the morning okay."

I nodded as she got the answer she wanted. Without wasting any more time, she quickly stalked away to catch up with Narumi.

We waited until we see both my mom and Narumi enter the store.

"He saw right through us." Hyuuga spoke up.

I averted my eyes to the ground. "Yeah you're most likely right." Narumi might be a big goof when we're at home, but when it comes to his job, he was the complete opposite. I sometimes wondered if he had a split personality. He's so serious and strict when it comes to work; it's scary.

"You should leave before any more of them come out." he reached down to grab Youichi, "Let's go."

I stepped up about to say something but my phone started vibrating again on the trunk of my car. That's where I last placed it before this whole incident happened. "Geez, if I didn't die here, I'm pretty sure I will die after they get through with me." I sighed seeing Sumire's name on the screen this time.

I wonder what I'll be saying to them. Hmm what kind of excuse could I make up this time?

I looked up to see Hyuuga turn to leave with Youichi. Subconsciously, I took a few steps forward as if trying to stop them from leaving.

Youichi on the other hand turned around halfway to wave bye to me while Hyuuga just glanced back at me. I slowly returned the wave and walked over to the driver's side of my car.

I managed to get out of the store parking lot without the cops noticing and which happened to be the least of my worries.

I didn't get killed by the girls like I had expected when I first arrived at Anna's house. Just received the glares and the 'where were you' and 'what took you so long' questions.

On the other hand, I had something much worse to fear.

Narumi's text message that I got shortly after getting comfortable in the sleepover is what kicked the fear button inside me. His message strictly states to enjoy this sleepover since it'll be my last in a long time.

Crazy right? I had a feeling I'm gonna have to kiss my car good bye for a-

"Mikan?" Anna gasped getting my attention, "What happened to your elbow?"

I had already changed into my hearted pink pajamas making the bandage on my elbow fully visible. "Oh..." damn, I totally forgot about it, "Ehh, you know me… I got stuck in the middle of a crossfire out in the middle of a parking lot and scratched my elbow when I threw myself on the floor..." I rolled my eyes sarcastically .

Everyone exchanged glances taking my lame excuse as a blown up lie. They laughed at me.

Yeah, I thought so -as if they'd believe me.

I smiled and joining into their laughing.

...If only they knew...

* * *

**What a way to make Natsume and Mikan act as a team right? lol**

**Sorry for the shorter chapter, I was told not to mix two major scenes in one chapter cuz it'll just get too confusing, so I kept it short and legit ^_^**

**I only went over it twice, so there are most likely errors in there somewhere.**

**hope I didn't disappoint, so please Review or PM me,**

**Thankyou! **


	4. Glowing Red

**Author's Note: **

**Sorry for the delayed post. It's been months since I've been able to work on fanfiction stuff because of Uni :(**

**So, I've finally got the chance to update my stories. **

**Anyways, for all Natsume fans, this chapter is a treat to you all! its all in his POV for this chapter, and the plot finally starts to develop in this chapter.**

**Hope you guys like :D**

**ENJOY! XD**

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

It had only been five minutes after the warning bell, and I was barely getting past the school entrance. I knew I was already late, so I didn't even bother rushing through the school.

I'll get there when I get there.

Three weeks have passed since I've started school in this city, and I've been on campus -what, three days? -and that's if I included today. Well, it's not like I was complaining anyways. Getting home rested for two- almost three weeks gave me enough time to find a few jobs.

I sighed noticing I've reached my destination. Without hesitating, I grabbed the door handle and twisted it down, pulling the door along with it.

"And he appears," the teacher's voice stopped me at the door, "welcome back Hyuuga. I'm still in the process of calling attendance, so take your seat and we can get things going."

I tipped my head down instead of saying anything and looked around the room for an empty seat. As I'm doing so, I noticed the stares and whispers between the people.

He actually came back?... I thought he left this school... blah blah blah... I'm sure that's what was running through their minds.

Whatever.

I saw the same back table empty so I walked towards it.

After removing my backpack and placing it on top of my desk, I slid into the seat.

From back here I could see pretty much everyone and it's stupidly obvious that most of the people were still staring and saying shit.

I glanced to the left side of the room and immediately noticed 'miss-stares-a-lot' Sakura. She blinked twice seeing that I've caught her staring. Surprisingly she didn't turn away or pretend she was looking somewhere else. Instead, she closed her eyes and smiled.

What-? Is that a way of saying 'hi' secretly or something? I raised a brow and looked down at my hands on the desk. With my left index finger, I slightly raised it to signal a 'suppose-to-be' hello. She smiled again from my action and turned around to face the front of the class.

After what happened last Friday, I'm actually surprised she can still smile at me. Not only did she look after Youichi while I worked that night, but also protected him, putting herself in danger to cover him.

I guess I could say she won a bit of respect from me. It's the least I could do.

Not only that, but Youichi was quite fond of her for some reason. Don't know why-? He just was.

I covered my mouth with the side of my right hand since I felt a smirk creeping up on my lips.

* * *

Throughout the next few classes, I didn't really pay much attention.

My mind kept wandering off.

I looked down letting out a stress related sigh. There's something that has been bugging me since yesterday.

To think I should have learned a lesson or two from my previous homes...

God I feel stupid every time this happens.

* * *

_Flashback_

**Sunday **

I couldn't sleep...

I tossed and turned all night for the past two nights. I swear I hadn't gotten any sleep since Friday! I've been too freakin' edgy ever since the whole parking lot event with Sakura.

...NO sleep what's so ever!

I grabbed the blanket and threw it aside as I sat up. I glanced at the red alarm clock on the floor next to my bed and noticed the blinking red numbers reading 4:55am.

"This sucks." I rubbed my sore eyes while swinging my legs over to the side of the bed.

Today I had work at my second job washing boats over by the pier.

So instead of going for the usual jeans and a shirt, I grabbed a pair of black and white board shorts and a black spandex short-sleeve shirt.

After showering and changing into my clothes, I pushed away the idea of putting on my contacts.

My eyes felt swollen because of the lack of sleep.

_'I'll just put them on before I leave'_ or so I thought.

I walked into the living room/kitchen and did notice the improvements. For the past week and a half I've been spending most of my free time painting and repairing the apartment to at least a semi-decent home.

I might as well right? -we were going to be living here for a while.

So I filled in the holes in the walls, tightened the hinges on doors and cabinets, and last but not least started the painting.

The apartment walls went from an ugly worn out blue to a solid clean white. And the cabinets in the kitchen went from a pealed out yellow to plain black.

This has had me busy for the whole time I've been out of school.

I opened the top drawer in the kitchen and took out a screw driver. Next I grabbed a bag full of the new knobs I would be switching the old ones with from the counter, and focused on doing that for the time being.

Half ways done, I checked the time and it was around six-ish, so figured I might as well get the mail before heading out.

I put everything away along with the discarded knobs and grabbed my keys.

The hallways were empty and also pretty quiet. Hardly any lighting in here- oh and the walls along with the flooring are disgustingly old. This place looks like its deteriorating. In short, the place is just flat ugly.

And what's hard to believe is that we've lived in worse.

I shook my head as I walked down the stairs to the lobby.

Nobody in the lobby either. So I took my time and looked down the narrow isle that had all the metal boxes aligning the wall.

The numbers go by room number so I start heading towards the four-hundreds.

404...405...406...

I used the same key to my room to open the corresponding mail box. About four letters and a few adds were in the mail.

I didn't bother checking what they were; I simply grabbed my mail, closed my mail box, and turned to leave.

There's nothing in the mail to worry about just yet. Persona's letter doesn't come in until the first of the month-

I stopped cutting my thoughts short when I noticed the entrance door swing open, followed by a man in his late thirties carrying a cardboard box.

... Silence lingered…

I know I'm staring, but why is he staring? My eyes widened when I heard him gasp and take a step back.

What's going on? Why was he scared all of a sudden?

I looked behind me to see if there's something or someone that might be causing this. But there was no one.

_"Los-los... tus ojos!"_ The man yelled at me.

I had no clue what the man was saying.

It wasn't until he pointed at his eyes that I caught on.

Shit! Even I let out a gasp realizing it. I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling since the lobby ceiling was a big mirror. In between the cracks and chipped pieces of glass, I saw them. My red eyes looking right back at me, not only that but for some reason they looked as if they were glowing.

What the hell-? I flinched as I heard something hit the ground.

The man had dropped the box in his hands.

_"Ojos del demonio!"_ He staggered back and pressed up against the wall behind him_. "Ala chingada!"_

All I could do was stare as the man made a break away towards the entrance.

I let out a sigh. Dammit! Can't believe it... Fuck! I forgot to put my contacts on!

Am I really this fuckin' stupid or something!

I glanced up at the mirror again in denial. There's no avoiding it, the proof is looking right back at me!

I clenched my teeth and walked over towards the box the man dropped. A few of the things inside had fallen out, so I knelt down and recollected everything. After closing the box, I placed it up against the wall hoping he finds it here whenever he decides to come back.

I stood up and headed up the stairs, back to my room.

No one's ever really run away like that before. Usually they just stared or thought I was a freak or something... but this? Are they really glowing-? I'm pretty sure my eyes looked like they were glowing.

I'm in so much fuckin' denial; I didn't want to admit I was scared.

Once I reached my apartment room, I dropped off the mail and the keys on the kitchen counter before going straight to the bathroom. I leaned over the sink to get a closer look at my eyes.

...I don't know...they did look different -like they aren't a deep crimson color anymore. They're lighter? Is that what's giving them shine?

Or maybe it could be the lack of sleep or swelling that's making them look this way?

Hmmm, "Don't know..." I sighed opening the medicine cabinet and grabbing my usual contact case.

After putting both lenses on, my eyes didn't look as bad anymore. The swelling was still there and all, but the redness got covered.

Well that's good at least.

The only thing left to hope was... that no one believes a man running around screaming about a kid with red eyes.

Or should I say 'demon' eyes?

I don't know...

_End of Flashback_

* * *

I don't think I'd doubt the fact that they would run if they were to see my true eye color. A few might stick around and call me names.

I've seen most of it happen in our first couple homes. It wasn't until our fourth move that Persona sent me a case of contact lenses.

Was it because he felt sorry for me? I hated thinking that, but sadly I'll admit he helped me.

With that set of contact lenses, I was able to blend in with the crowd, get jobs, and attract less attention.

So ever since then, I never forgot to put on my contacts until yesterday.

I let out a sigh, how can I forget to put my contacts on? I only did a simple thing like go get the mail and back around six in the morning so I didn't expect anyone to be at the lobby.

_'Los ojos del demonio!'_ I shut my eyes tight hearing that man's words echo in my head.

Shit, the guy even dropped everything he was holding and made a run for it.

I'm pretty sure he said my eyes had something to do with that of a demon's.

I haven't felt this guilty gut feeling for a while.

...God... this sucks!

* * *

Throughout the next few classes, the rumors about 'the new guy being gone for so long' got worse. And by that I mean STUPID. People were so desperate for something new! I mean some people were saying I ended up in a fuckin' coma! Others said I wussed out and disappeared. Dumb shit like that man. This was so pointless. This whole school was connected with gossip and assumption. I've never felt this out of place before. Usually I steered clear and tried to keep the 'nobody' act. That's how it's always been, but now...? It's as if everyone was pointing the damn spotlight at me!

EVERYBODY knows EVERYBODY here. Fucking Pleasantville status!

I quickly dropped off my backpack in my locker and headed towards the school entrance. It's already the beginning of lunch, so I had to make sure to get Youichi home before it was over.

It didn't take long to get Youichi home this time. I even had enough time to make sure he had everything he might need at home before locking up.

All in all, I ended up with ten minutes to spare when I reached the school.

Right when I was about to pull the front door to the main building, I felt someone grab my shoulder.

Not this again, I roll my eyes and let go of the door handle.

"Hey..." The voice was that of a guy.

I looked over my shoulder to see the blond guy who tried to pick a fight with me.

I turned around and crossed my arms. "Ah the jealous one- what do you want." I purposely stated.

He in return lets out a sigh. "Look man, I just wanted to apologize about acting up on you. You see, I had this thing planned for Sakura that day -and the way she-"

"Spare me the details," I cut him off, "I don't care."

Fuck him -who does he think he is? What- he expects me to have a friendly conversation with him after what happened and accept a stupid pointless apology that I know I wouldn't give a SHIT about?

No thanks.

"She put you up to this didn't she?" I asked.

He glared at me before answering, "Yeah whatever, you caught me," he shrugged, "she said she wouldn't say a word to me until I apologized to you."

...I see, so I was right, "Alright, just as much as I wouldn't give a shit about your sorry ass apology. I'll gamble it with you." I smirked.

He tilts his head a bit confused, "...alright, I'm listening."

I took a step closer, "It's a simple bet really. And it'll be over in less than ten seconds..." I let the silence linger.

I didn't know where the hell I was going with this.

"What's the bet, Hyuuga?"

I tried not to laugh at his seriousness, "Alright here goes, if I can go and stand at the center of the lobby for ten seconds without Sakura rushing out to me, then I will personally tell her myself that you apologized blah blah blah... but if she DOES come up to me within those ten seconds, I will seriously fuckin' deny any apology from you. No matter how many times I have to lie or not even give a fuck," I turned to grab the door handle, "So how 'bout it? Simple right?" I smirked over my shoulder.

If he felt confident about Sakura being this so called 'girl of his' or whatever, he should-

"Deal."

I chuckled, "Right on man, alright stand here and watch through the glass door while I count down the seconds for you to see. I'm not bullshitting you alright."

And with that, I pulled the door open and walked over to the center of the lobby and face the blond guy. I gave him thumbs up letting him know I'm starting the countdown.

The first five seconds I counted them in my head. After I reached five, I moved my mouth clear enough for him to be able to tell what number I was on.

...six...seven...eight, I closed my eye. Sakura better fuckin' show, nine-

"Nurse wants to see you," I glanced to my left to see Sakura stop next to me, "Took you long enough," She huffed crossing her arms, "Uhmm she told me to come find you."

I swear if it wasn't for this bet going on, I would have thought I was actually happy to see her.

"Alright? just...walk with me for a bit." I guided her ahead of me so I can get my last look at Nogi? -I think that's his name.

The blond had his arms crossed while smirking at me.

I returned the smirk and raised my right hand to flip him off as I walked away. I followed after Sakura, and started to wonder why I did what I did just now. Which... I still don't know. Maybe a small act of revenge? Or maybe the fact that I knew where his weak point was?

Whatever... I don't care-

"So..." Sakura glanced over her shoulder, "how've you been?" She nervously asked.

I looked down at the floor and responded a short dead answer; "Don't worry about it..." my answer blocked the attempt of a conversation. So the only thing I had left to focus on was the floor and the curious glances from people as we walked passed them.

"Okay, we're here." Sakura stopped and turned around to face me.

I reached for the door handle and pulled it open to let Sakura in first and followed after.

"Ah nice to see you back in school Hyuuga," the nurse stood up from her desk, "I had to see for myself after Mikan came and told me the news."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but glance over at Sakura standing right next to me. I smirked seeing how exposed she felt by the look on her face.

"Happy to be back in school right?" The nurse got my attention.

I took a step back, "Can I leave now?"

The nurse gave me a confused look but nods her head in return, "Sure, come see me if you feel anything out of the ordinary okay."

Out of the ordinary? Wait- did she have to phrase it like that? I couldn't help but think about what happened yesterday.

I mentally face-palmed myself. There was NO WAY in hell I was telling her.

"I'll keep that in mind." I answered as I turned to leave and pushed the door open. The door didn't shut behind me so I didn't have to look back to know Sakura followed me.

"Hey Hyuuga, wait up." She lightly jogged over to catch up to me.

I stopped and sighed, "What?"

"I forgot to mention this earlier," she looked down at the floor confused on whether to tell me or not, "well you see..."

"Just say it," I interrupted her.

In response to me pressuring her, she slightly got startled.

"Right," she replied glancing up at me to meet my gaze.

Man, is it that terrifying to look at me? It doesn't seem like that with the rest of the school.

She took a deep breath, "You know the whole thing that happened last Friday? The whole getting caught in the middle of the-"

What is she stupid? "Yeah," I stop her from mentioning the incident out loud.

"Well you see, Narum- I mean my dad got everything out of me. The whole story -oh but except one thing."

I raised a brow. Isn't that what I told her to do in the first place? What's with all the suspense?

"He wanted to know who the person with me was at the time, but I told him I didn't know." She bit her bottom lip nervously.

So strangely she decided to cover for me? Is that what she was trying to say? Not only that, but if she did do that then she probably got herself in even more trouble.

"What I'm trying to say is, my dad might go looking for you at the market where he last saw you, or ask people around there. He doesn't know you work there, don't get me wrong. But I'm just saying since I think he wants to look more into the situation."

I see. I glanced down and considered the change of events, "Alright I'll keep that in mind."

She took a step back as I walked past her.

This time I didn't hear the light sound of her footsteps following me as I headed for the cafeteria. A few steps into the lunchroom and I noticed I had gotten the attention of the nearby tables. Again with all the staring, I started to regret ever walking in here in the first place.

I turned to leave the way I came from, but practically walked into an older man's chest. I lift my gaze from the floor and onto the man's face.

"What do ya know, just the guy I need to talk to before practice." The coach spoke up as he gripped my right shoulder and led me towards the back of the lunch room. "So tell me; you're doing alright now right uhmm... uhh," he snapped his fingers as he tried to think up my name, "...Natsumi?" He asked not sounding too sure.

"It's Natsume." I corrected him.

He nodded in return, "Close enough," he patted my shoulder rather harshly, "So anyways Natsume did you get the green light from the nurse about your injury?"

I shrugged, "Pretty much." I answered basically without a second thought.

"Yes! -good to hear," he paused as he cleared his throat before continuing, "Alright, the reason why I'm asking is because I'm wondering if you'd be interested in sticking around for today's football practice."

Not this bullshit again, I opened my mouth about to protest, but he signaled me to let him finish what he had to say.

"I'm not forcing you to play if that's what you're iffy about. Just- you know, have a see and feel of the game and let me know if you're interested." He released my shoulder and reached out for a handshake.

I looked at his hand, "You make it sound as if I have a choice, but I know that's not the case is it?" I grabbed his hand and took up the offer, "One thing's for sure, I won't join the team but if showing up today means getting you off my back then I just wanna get this over with."

I don't work until six anyways, I'm sure it'll be over by then.

* * *

Instead of going to the south bound field of the school where the basketball and baseball courts were, I headed towards the football stadium on the east side.

I didn't have any football gear or uniform of any sort, so I showed up wearing the usual P.E outfit. I finally managed to buy the shirt this time since I really didn't have enough to buy it before.

I looked down at the field as I walked down the main stairs and stopped because of what I noticed.

You're kidding me right? The whole football team -both J.V and Varsity were wearing their regular P.E outfit.

I stepped off the stairs and walked past the tracks that circled the field. Both teams were running the same drill.

The coach saw me approaching a few steps away so he met me halfway.

"Good you made it," he stepped aside for me to walk past him, "you're up for some running and drills right? I didn't want to risk you getting hurt on the first day, so I made it touch-football for today's practice."

How generous? I nodded as I took a seat on the single row bench on the field.

"One last thing before you join," The coach asked as he sat his clipboard down next to me.

I was in the middle of checking my black Converse, so I glanced up for a second.

"How bad is your eye sight? Do you think you can go without your glasses while on the field?"

Damn, I forgot about this part. Either I could lie and tell him I'm completely screwed without my glasses and risk getting them broken, or...

Without helping it, I took off my glasses and hand them over to him, "They're just my reading glasses," I lied, "I'm fine without them."

He slipped them into his right front pocket, "Alright then, well go join in on some drills and in the last hour we'll have a small game and see how you do there."

Is he kidding me? I thought I told him I wasn't joining. Oh well, whatever.

I stood up and headed over to the last row of the group.

For every drill or sprint that we did for the next hour and a half, I made sure I came in fifth to last or somewhere around there. I knew if I mixed in with the faster crew, I'd probably gain some unwanted attention. Not like it helped much though, I guess the coach had said something about my speed to a few of the players, so they were expecting me to be 'some glorious' type of player or something. Well, that's what I'm assuming since every time it was my turn to run, throw, or run a play, they expected me to do it perfect on my first go.

...There's no way that's happening. Especially when even I-myself was trying to fuck up on purpose. God, there is no point to this.

Aside from that, the whole time I've been getting teamed up with my 'best friend' Ruka. Apparently he wanted to keep me close at the moment. I'm thinking this whole time he's been observing me, or maybe he's just teaming up with me to make me look like a jackass trying to catch his insane passes. I had to admit, the kid had one hell of an arm. We had only been using half of the field, and yet he's been throwing passes past the mid-line. Once he started passing the ball like that, I didn't even bother running past that line. I would just turn back and get back in line.

The coach blew the whistle making us gather up. As we huddled up, I noticed how at the same time the cheerleaders gathered up at the audience bleachers.

"Alright change of plans everyone," The coach dropped two boxes in the middle of our circle, "I was planning of just going with shirts versus skins, but seeing how the cheerleaders finished with their practice early, I have no choice but to make this flag-football." He pulled the top box open and grabbed a hand full of red flag belts and started handing them out.

I ended up getting a yellow flag and also being teamed up with Nogi in the last second. He even traded flags with some other blond kid with shaggy dull hair.

I was about to turn and leave when the coach stopped me.

"Yo Natsume, come here." He crossed his arms.

I adjusted the belt around my waist as I waited to hear what he had to say, "Yeah?"

"How are you managing out there? Anything hurtin' on ya?"

I glanced up, "No, I'm fine."

"Oh really?" He took a step closer, "Then I'd like to know why you're trying so hard to blend in with the average players in there."

I held his stare and didn't respond. I never agreed to give it my all or whatever; I just simply agreed to show up to this crap and get it over with.

He let out a sigh, "I didn't say anything since we were only using half the field for drills, but now the whole field is open for play. Pick either one of the wide receiver spots and see if you can complete Ruka's passes."

By the time I had reached the lineup everybody was already in their positions.

"Hey, Natsume!" I noticed it was Nogi yelling, "Get right wing WR!" He smiled and pointed at the open position.

I swear this all felt like I was getting set up.

I took my position as wide receiver and fought off the thought of truly participating.

The first couple plays went smooth; Nogi didn't try any of his fancy passes and kept the game close by. It wasn't until we were down by two touchdowns that made him jog up to me.

"Get ready to go long alright, this is my favorite part," he smiled and patted my shoulder, "Try to keep up."

I shrugged his hand off, "Oh we'll see." I challenged back before walking back to my position.

I guess he left me no choice. He accepted my bet blindfolded earlier, so I might as well meet him half ways.

The whole field went quiet as we all waited for the ball to get hiked. I had a feeling like everyone knew what's coming except me.

I looked over my left shoulder and over at Nogi as he called out the play. He caught my glance and I watched as the ball landed in his hands. Nogi didn't bother to see if he could make any close passes. Without hesitating he whipped his right arm back and launched the football down my wing.

As soon as I knew where the ball was heading, I made a break-away between two of the defense. I sprinted down the sideline with both of the defenders chasing me, but quickly falling behind.

The ball was starting to catch up to me by the time I was thirty yards away from the touchdown zone. I reached my right hand up at the same time I crossed the twenty yard line. The ball slapped down hard on my opened palm. But before it could bounce, I shoved it hard into my chest and grab it with both my arms as I slipped. My Converse had no grip when it came to running on grass, so I knew the moment I stopped running it would be the end of the play.

I tried keeping my balance as my feet glided to a stop.

In the end, I had no choice but to tuck and roll to stop myself from landing wrong. I rolled to a stop right before reaching the ten yard line. After all that, there was still no touchdown.

I left the ball on the ground as I stood up and rubbed my right palm.

I wondered how far a pass it was. We started at thirty yards at the other end, so if I crossed the fifty yard line and reached past twenty on this side, then that means-

"THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE BOY! I knew you had it in you!" I looked over my shoulder to see the coach running onto the field.

The coach along with both teams ran up to me cheering amazed.

"Nogi, OVER HERE!" The coach yelled seeing how Nogi was the last one to join in, "This right here! This guy is the missing piece you've been looking for." He boasted as he grabbed my shoulder and shook me.

"So are you joining?" A few of the players started bombarding me with the same question.

I shook my head and took a step back, "No," dammit, this is why I hate taking part in any of these type of things, "I won't join."

Everyone started looking at each other confused.

"Hey then why did you come out to play for the day?" One of the players couldn't help but ask.

I pointed my left thumb over at the coach, "So he could leave me alone about trying it out."

This time Nogi stepped into the group, "So you're not going to join?"

I raised a brow a bit surprised, "No, I won't join." I repeated myself.

"You won't... or you can't?" Nogi rephrased.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, "I'm leaving." I unstrapped the belt buckle and handed it to the coach.

"Wait- what, why? Practice ain't over yet." The coach asked as he stared at the flag belt in front of him.

The coach wasn't the only one that was curious to hear what was so important as to why I had to leave, but the whole team too.

Instead of answering like everyone expected, I pushed the flag belt into the coach's grip, "My glasses." I reminded him.

He looked at my open hand in front of him, "Sad to see you go kid," he reached into his front pocket and took out my glasses, "we'll be here if you change your mind. Homecoming game next week's Friday if you're interested later on."

Next week's Friday? That's- dammit what was supposed to be important of that day again?

... Don't know.

I slipped my glasses on and walked away from the group. For some reason I walked away feeling weird -or actually weirder than 'usual'.

I looked over my shoulder as I stepped onto the track. The guys seemed to be standing around and talking to the coach. Not really sure what they're saying but-

All of a sudden I heard cheering and clapping from the football stands, causing me to look in the direction of all the noise.

I slowly scanned within the up roared cheerleaders trying to get my attention. There was the loud over reacting ones like the green haired chick, forgot her name- and don't care. And then there were the rest, which just cheered and smiled. Uhmm normal I guess. And the very last one, which happened to be Sakura, sitting down, glancing between her feet and me.

I narrow my eyes. She's been doing this for a while now. I really don't get it. First, she seemed to have a serious staring problem. That bugged me then, and now I'm getting bugged because she's suddenly looking anywhere else but me?

I shook my head. I'm thinking too much into it and I'm fuckin' stupid for actually considering the thought.

I reached the stairs to the stadium entrance and quickly ran up the steps.

It didn't take long for me to reach the locker rooms, change, and head home. I might be a little late for work by doing this, but I had to make sure Youichi was doing okay.

I checked my watch as I turned the key to my door. It's almost five, so I still had some time.

"Youichi, I'm home." I glanced around the living room as I dropped off my stuff on the kitchen table.

Where is this kid?- I don't see him. I walked into the living room and looked around the couches to make sure he's not hiding around them.

He's not there either. I crossed my arms and walked into the narrow hallway. His room is the first door on the left. I checked there, and he wasn't there either. Next was my room on the right a little further down.

I pushed the door to my room open and no sign of him there either.

I felt a sudden jolt of panic course down my neck and chest.

Why wasn't he here? He's never stepped outside of the apartment without me. I left my room and returned to the living room and kitchen.

Maybe he was hiding? Slim chances of that, but anything is better than thinking he's out on the streets somewhere.

I stood still and listened quietly for any hints of Youichi.

After a few seconds of focusing, my ears picked up the sound of short yet strong intakes of breaths. I slowly started walking in the direction they were coming from.

I ended up standing in front of the kitchen sink and looking down at the cabinet doors underneath.

"Youichi?" I knelt down about to peek in through the doors, when suddenly two hands from behind gripped my neck.

By instinct, I grabbed onto the wrists of the attacker and tried to pray their grip off. In return, the person switched his grip from my neck, to holding me in a head lock. My glasses got knocked off and landed in the sink. I tried pushing back, but the attacker shoves me to fall over the sink.

As much as I tried to look over my shoulder, it was obvious this person didn't want me to see how they looked. Judging by strength and flat chest, it was a man. Skin pigment… pale white. He was taller than me. The top of my head hit his chin when I pushed back.

In less than three seconds I was able to come up with faint features.

His arm lock around my neck was only getting tighter, and I was looking for any way to loosen his grip.

I pulled at his arms with my right hand while I felt around the counter top with my left.

A knife, a fork, -anything!

Instead, my hand came in contact with one of Youichi's sprawled out color pencils. I gripped the pencil tight with the harp point facing down and swung it back as hard as I could.

The pencil pierced the left side of his thigh which caused him to hiss out in pain. Swiftly, his right arm pulled away from my neck.

I thought he had loosened his grip, but I was wrong.

My eyes widened as I heard the sound of gun being cocked back on the side of my head. His left hand gripped a fist load of my hair and pulled my head back.

"Clever little FUCK aren't you!" He sounded as if his mouth was covered by something. It was a deep voice so I was right about it being a guy.

My eyes never left the gun on the side of my head, "What do you-" I began to ask, but he cut me off by shoving the gun roughly onto the side of my head.

"I can easily put a bullet in your head or shoot a whole clip under the sink." The gun left my head and was now pointing at Youichi's direction. "Say another word and I'll choose for you!"

His command shook me. I would choose the bullet in my head ten times more than the other option. I slowly raised my hands up defenseless letting him know I wouldn't resist anymore.

"That's what I thought." He yanked my hair harder making me stumble a few steps back. "On the floor." He demanded as he kicked the back of my right knee.

I collapsed a little too hard making me wince.

"Chest down and don't you dare look back. The moment you do, I'll blow three holes in that cabinet." I could hear him wagging the gun around.

I waited on the floor with my sight glued on Youichi. No matter what happened, I didn't want Youichi to see anything.

The man placed one knee on my back keeping me pinned down. He let go of my hair for a second before gripping it again and pulling my face off the floor.

He turned my head so my left ear was facing him.

I felt something cold touch the lobe of my ear before feeling a massive amount of pain spike my ear and down my neck and left arm. I clenched my teeth and fist trying to suppress the burning feeling on my ear.

He let go of my hair letting me head drop to the floor.

After a few seconds I felt him grip my hair again and yank my head back up, but now he was looking at my right ear.

Fuck, this ear too?

Instead of the lobe, he slipped something cold along the side of my ear. This one was a tube-cuff.

I clenched my teeth harder knowing this one was going to hurt more than the first.

I shut my eyes tight as I felt the blade on the cuff slice along the whole side of my ear. The pain was instant, but so was the attacker. He didn't wait for the pain to pass as he hauled me up by the hair. I struggled to get on my knees, so I grabbed onto his gripping hand unknowingly.

He spoke to me as he dragged me forward towards the sink, "These should keep you tamed during the first stage."

First stage? What's he talking about? And what does he mean by tamed? My thoughts suddenly got interrupted when I felt his hands roughly tug on both my ears.

He was making sure the piercings were secured. He let's go of my ears and completely left me alone.

"Two minutes without moving." He commanded as I could hear his footsteps getting distant.

I stood frozen where he left me. I didn't dare look back. My body didn't move until five minutes later.

The attacker was long gone and I still felt like he was watching me.

With blood trailing down my neck and collar bone area, I knelt down slowly, "Youichi?" My voice came out in short rasped breaths.

He slowly opened the cabinet doors and looked at me with swollen red eyes.

My heart sank further knowing he understood what had happened.

I helped him out of the cabinet and pulled him into a hug. As much as I tried to seem composed, I still felt my body shaking from the adrenaline leaving my body.

This was a whole other level of anxiety. Usually the violence and dread was outside of our four walls. I always found our home to be an escape from the world.

…But now? What am I left to expect, my own home wasn't safe anymore.

I ended up being late to work by twenty minutes. The manager wasn't happy, but seeing as how my ears were beet red swollen; he let it slide just this once by letting me make up the twenty minutes after my shift.

I didn't dare leave Youichi at home like I had planned. Which brings the issue about what am I gonna do tomorrow when he gets out of school. More or so, I'm probably going to ditch my phys. Ed class tomorrow and look for a daycare.

Work was going by slower than usual; I was two hours in and stocking up the back when the manager called me up to the front via intercom.

I wondered why he would call me all of a sudden as I approached the front.

As I spotted the manager, I noticed he was talking to someone who looked mysterious. The tall male figure had shoulder length blond hair, lean, and wore a black trench coat with black slacks. I wondered whether this guy was a cop, or a detective.

"Natsume, come on over." My manager waved me over to get closer, "This is detective Narumi , and he's wondering about last Friday's incident in the parking lot. You were just getting off the clock when that took place, so I gave him your name. Take a break, and tell him if you know anything."

My manager didn't waste time on leaving us alone. I stood next to the detective who seemed to be glancing at my ears curiously.

"Son, those look like their hurting you," the detective commented as he leaned closer to get a better look, "Why don't you take them off?"

I gently grabbed onto the red crimson sphere that hung on my left lobe, "You think I didn't try?" I mumbled to myself but loud enough for him to hear.

I changed the subject, "So what is it you want me to answer."

"Right," He led me to the closest bench next to the exit which happened to be where Youichi was sitting.

"So do you know this little boy?" He motioned towards Youichi.

I nodded, "Yeah, he's my bother." I paused, "Why?"

He cleared his throat, "Well, the night of the incident my daughter happened to be here. My wife was the one who spotted her and a young man around her age with a younger boy as well. Based off of the descriptions my wife provided me with, you and your brother happen to match the profiling. Now tell me, how did you two manage to get involved?"

I crossed my arms, "You make it sound like my intention was to get involved."

He raised a brow, "That wasn't my intention. I-"

"I know." I cut him off, "I just happened to help one of the customers on my way out. I was off the clock, but I still helped. So on the way to her car, two cars pulled up and shot at each other," I shrugged, "We're not really in the best side of the city. It's highly expected around these areas, so I don't know why you're wasting your time with a pointless scene such as this one."

He remained silent as he jotted down everything I said.

"Natsume, is it?" He asked as he glanced up from his note pad.

I nodded.

"How old are you?" He wrote down my name.

"I'm sixteen." I answered.

He was taken aback with my answer, "Wait- your still in high school. My daughter is your age and I wouldn't let her have a job. Why are you working so young?"

I let out a sigh, "I know, I know. My birthday is at the end of the month, so I'm not that young. I don't want to say that I have to provide for myself, but my 'guardian' hardly makes enough for rent."

"So you're working part time to help out your parent?" He asked as he wrote down the last part of my speech.

"Uhmm guardian, but yeah." I glanced at Youichi and the paper he was drawing on.

"What's this?" I reached for the paper at the same time Youichi was about to hand it to me.

I couldn't stop myself from gasping as I figured out what he had drawn.

The doodle was sloppy, but it was clear enough for me to notice a tall, lean figure with black ruffled hair, along with what seemed like a white mask.

"This- this can't be…" My voice trailed off as I remembered the features I had come up with based off of my own assumptions when the attacker tried holding me down.

Youichi saw him? My eyes widened with the realization.

"Something wrong, Natsume?" The detective tried getting a look at the drawing.

I acted on impulse and crushed the drawing in my hands, "It's nothing."

"You say it's nothing, but you totally mean the opposite, don't you?" He placed his pen down and looked at me with a serious expression, "Is there something I should know?"

I shoved the drawing in my back pocket, "It's nothing relating to your questions or to the reason why you're here, so drop it."

He sat up straight and glared at me, "First of all, you don't tell me what my job is. I know what I have to ask. And second, I'm asking because you lost all your composure the moment you saw the drawing." He paused and glanced at Youichi, "Based on what I know so far about you, it must have been one hell of a drawing to crack you the way I just witnessed."

I unexpectedly let out a chuckle, "Cops are so nosy. So what- are you going to force me to tell you?"

He shook his head, "I actually could, but I won't. I'll mind my own business this time and just focus on the particular case I approached you for."

Is that so? I raised a brow, surprised that he wasn't going to push any farther, "Well alright, if anything comes to mind about the parking lot shooting, I'll let you know." I got up from my seat and he followed suit.

"Thank you Natsume for your time and if anything like you said," he swiftly slid a business card across the table, "give me a call."

I grabbed the card and took out my wallet, "Yeah, I'll call." I placed the card in a slot and put my wallet away.

I got back to work and the detective went ahead and questioned a few of the other employees.

Youichi's drawing kept haunting me. Whether I wanted to accept the fact or not, Youichi had a solid vision of the guy who broke into our home.

I also wasn't comfortable with the reason as too why he broke into our apartment in the first place. He attacked me, threatened us, and the entire emotional trauma just to force ear piercings on me.

I'll be tamed for now huh? I wondered what he meant by that.

* * *

**Chapter 4 finished!**

**Super glad the story is starting to make progress. I hope you guys like it so far :D**

**I know I didn't have any NatsumexMikan moments in this chapter, but I'll add in a few for next chapter.**

**Don't forget to REVIEW or message XD**

**Thanks for reading ^ ^**


	5. Friends part I

**So I haven't visited fanfiction since before the new updates. I was really lost and woahed over the changes. But everything is still where I remembered so I made it back with a new chapter to MDBIC! yes!**

**Okay this chapter is slightly shorter than the past chapters, but in a good way. There are two parts to this chapter, so that will be my next chapter.**

**Hope you guys like and enjoy xD**

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

For the past week, it's been nothing but homecoming this or homecoming that. The flyers and banners had been passed and pasted for everyone to see, and we've all been excited to win this game to celebrate at our homecoming dance the following night.

It's the day before the big game and everyone seemed to be representing our school colors of black and red. Tomorrow was the big day, and it felt as though the hours were being counted.

I too bounced in representing my school spirit with my cheer uniform and two pigtails tied up. I had my face painted with four stars on my cheeks and sprayed glitter all over myself.

"Mikan, quick-" Anna startled me as I walked into first period, "get in the picture with the rest of the girls." She smiled as she wrapped her arm around mine. We playfully skipped to the back of the room, and I went ahead and posed with the rest of the girls while Anna sat up the camera. We goofily posed and giggled as we racked up another set of pictures to add to the homecoming album.

"So is this an all-girls theme or can a guy get in on some pictures?" Ruka walked over with a couple of the guys from the football team. The girls giggled and made a small opening for them to step in.

I awkwardly moved a little to the side to let Ruka in since he wanted the spot next to me. For the past couple days, Ruka hasn't been around me much. Ever since I asked him to apologize to Hyuuga, he's been keeping his distance. But I had seen him talk to Hyuuga. And based on the little bit that I know about Hyuuga, he's not the kind of guy to forgive and forget so easily.

"So Mikan," Ruka spoke as he put an arm around my shoulders, "are you going to cheer for me tomorrow?" He smiled and lifted up a peace sign with his other hand as the shutter on the camera went off once.

I returned the smile and poked a peace sign on my left cheek, "Of course. I'm going to cheer for everyone out there."

Ruka glanced at me, "A little broad, but alright."

We continued to take pictures until the warning bell. And just as the bell finished ringing, Hyuuga himself walked into class. To no surprise, he didn't show up wearing the school colors. He wore a stripped blue and white long-sleeve shirt, navy blue tight-fit jeans, and normal black Converse.

"I've been talking to him you know," Ruka mentioned to me as we headed towards our seats.

"I know," I replied.

Ruka shook his head, "He's a tough nut Mikan. I think I messed up."

I didn't say anything but looked at him a bit confused.

"If I would have known the guy could be a secret weapon to the team, I wouldn't have acted up the way I did and attacked the guy. And now thanks to getting jealous, it's my fault he doesn't want to join the team." Ruka lets out a sigh, "I'm getting a lot of shit from the guys and the coach; blaming me and crap."

I understood what Ruka was getting at, "So how are you going to convince him?" I asked innocently.

Ruka lets out a chuckle, "Oh I've tried. But I get shit all the time," He smiled at me ominously, "That's why…Mikan?"

I bit my lip and nervously asked, "Uhmm yeah?" I had an idea of what he was going to ask next.

"You think you could convince him? You know for the team and all. I really tried, but the guy hates me." Ruka insisted.

I surprisingly let out a giggle, "Ruka of course Hyuuga doesn't want anything to do with you. You attacked him on his second day at this school."

"Yeah, I know," Ruka changed his expression to sad, "I'm willing to take two bullets to get this guy on the team. I'm already taking one from the team and I'll take one from you since I'm asking you to go up to him." He sat his stuff down on the desk behind me and plotted down in his seat, "Please?"

I continued nibbling on my lip. How can I convince Hyuuga to get on the school's football team? Ruka might be right about me being on better terms with him, but still…

I tipped my head down in a yes manor, "I'll try okay, but I won't promise anything either." I dropped off my stuff on my desk and headed to the back of the class.

I scrambled my mind about the many possible ways to approach Hyuuga about recruiting him into the team. I didn't have much time to think though since I was already standing next to his desk.

"Morning Hyuuga," I smiled at him.

He didn't say anything as he glanced up at me from his seat.

I fumbled with my fingers as I had my hands behind my back, "Uhmm excited for homecoming?" The look he gave me felt like I just asked the most stupid question of all time.

He rested his chin on his propped up hand and looked away, "I'm ecstatic." He sounded bored.

Alright fail. No big deal. Take two, "So are you going to the game?" I tried a different approach.

"No." His answer was short. Expected.

"What about Youichi?" I knelt down by the side of his desk and rested my arms on the surface, "It'll be fun for him to watch." I offered.

"No." His answer was the same.

Geez, he didn't even think about it, "Well… you should come and watch," I smiled, "I know Youichi would love to see it."

My suggestion made him actually look at me.

He crossed his arms and leaned back, "How would you know what he likes? Did he tell you?" Hyuuga questioned mockingly.

My smile dropped, "No uhmm he didn't tell me." Actually, I don't know anything about Youichi, "But there will be candy and all kinds of snacks-" before I could finish he cut me off.

"You don't know ANYTHING about him, so you can shut up about it!" He stood up and slammed his hands on the desk, surprising me and the rest of the class, "You guys seriously can't take a no?" He glanced down at me as I stayed on the floor feeling guilty.

"I didn't…" mean to get you upset, "I'm sorry I-" A hand from behind grabbed my shoulder stopping me from apologizing any further.  
"No Mikan, you don't owe him a single apology," Ruka helped me up and directed his attention at Hyuuga, "Dude, what's your problem? She didn't do anything to-"

"Then just take her away!" Hyuuga countered, "She needs to back off and stop following me around!" He glared at me as he spoke.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. My mood dropped from being guilty to utterly upset. Did I really intrude so much in his life to have him vent out like this? Alright, I'll admit that I went to his workplace a couple of times the past week, but I wouldn't last long. If anything, I could have sworn I was doing him a favor for watching Youichi a couple of minutes. I didn't… "I didn't… mean to upset you," I hiccupped a sudden sob. Why am I crying?

Both Ruka and even Hyuuga were surprised to see me tear up; actually even I was surprised. I instantly turned away and ran for the class door. I pushed the door open at the same time the teacher was about to walk in.

"Miss Sakura, where are you going?" He seemed like he was about to stop me but noticed my expression and allowed me to pass.

I glanced away, "I need some fresh air," was my excuse as I ran past him.

I had only taken a few steps away when I heard the same door slam open behind me and instantly followed by something crashing onto the metal red lockers across.

By instinct, I stopped running and looked over my shoulder to see Hyuuga slide down against the lockers. He seemed to be covering his ears with his hands as if he was in pain.

What's the matter with him?

I was about to take a step towards him but I stopped myself, NO! Mikan, don't! This was why he couldn't stand you. Just mind your own business… I sighed and turned to continue walking away. I kept repeating the same phrase to myself, mind your own business.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

Working part-time at a crappy food market and washing boats at the pier on the weekends hardly puts out enough money to cover for food, bills, clothes, and…Youichi's daycare.

Now that Youichi has been staying at a daycare, I don't have any money left to save up for emergencies. So with no choice, I had to cut back on food and clothes expenditures while I looked for a better paying job.

I felt terrible for doing this to Youichi. I never wanted him to feel as though we were limited to buy certain things. But I'd rather keep him safe before anything else.

So for the past few days, they had been stressful, sleepless, and painful.

My stress has been at its peak because of all the cut backs I had to adjust, looking for a close by daycare, and the option of a third job or a better paid one.

My sleep… gone. No chance of sleeping. Thanks to that fuckin' dude that broke in, I lost all confidence on the sanctuary of my home. Youichi sleeps on the couch every night while I stay up and do homework, read, write, -SOMETHING until the sun comes up. The only sleep I do admit is at school; I sleep through lecture and skip phys. Ed. I noticed that once the P.E teachers took attendance, they didn't give a rat's ass on what the students did after, so I only show up for those ten minutes then left.

As for my pain, it hasn't stopped since the moment these fucking piercings went on my ears! I swear they can sense my moods. If I was calm or somewhat 'relaxed', my piercings felt hot and itchy, so I eventually scratched them like crazy when I lost my patience. Now the tricky part is if I get pissed or upset in any negative way, my piercings change from hot to pulsating shockwaves. They… shock me… not once, not twice, but over and over until my body relaxes; and by that I mean no resisting what's so ever. I have to succumb like a bitch with a shock collar.

I don't know where the energy to charge these things come from, but all I know is that if that red orb on my ear turns blue, I'm in trouble.

And today was one of those days.

The moment Sakura ran out and the door slammed after her, was the very exact moment that orb turned blue.

I covered my ears with my hands and groaned for how hard the first shockwave had hit me. I knew I should have been more discrete about it, but I was still getting used to the blue orb experience.

Nogi watched me without a clue on whether to ask if I was alright or walk away. I don't blame him though, I'd be pissed at me too if I was him.

The teacher rushed to my side the moment he saw my condition, "Is it a migraine?" He asked about to touch my shoulder, but I immediately pulled away.

I shook my head instantly and ran past him. I forcefully pushed the door open and ran out the door. My mind had blanked by the time I had slammed against the lockers right across and slid down to sit up against them. I sat there clenching my teeth every time a wave hit. In between pulses I glanced around to find Sakura still in the same hallway.

And within seconds I was up and running towards her desperate.

My new and last resort.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

Half ways down the long hallway, Hyuuga surprised me by running after me and grabbing onto my left hand forcibly making me run alongside of him.

What was he doing?!"Hyuuga?" I grabbed onto his forearm and tried to pull him to stop, "Why are you-"

He glanced back at me but still continued running, "Show me where the school pool is at."

School pool? "Why?" I struggled to keep up with him as he led us down the flight of stairs.

By the time we reached the first floor Hyuuga abruptly stopped causing me to slingshot behind him.

He crooked his neck sideways while wincing making it obvious he was in some form of pain. He covered his left ear with his free hand and growled a bit of the frustration out.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't help ask.

Surprisingly he shook his head, "Quick, just show me where the pool is at." He hissed from behind his teeth.

I could have stood there and asked him all the questions that were running through my head at the time, but I could hear the urgency in his voice.

I gripped his hand tighter, "Okay, don't let go." I took the initiative step and started running in the direction towards of the pool.

The closer we got to the pool the more Hyuuga slowed down. By the time we were pushing past the pool entrance, I was practically pulling Hyuuga to run.

"Come on, we're almost there," I encouraged him to push.

In return, he let go of my hand causing me to look back at him. Apparently he had to let go in order to start removing his shirt and glasses.

"Wait- What are you doing?" I asked turning away giving him privacy.

"No time," he urgently pulled his shirt off and started undoing his belt, "Hold this."

I half turned around in time to receive his belongings.

He covered his ears one last time, "Whether this kills me or not, I'm going to find out."

I watched dumbfounded as I processed his words. He ran and dove into the pool without hesitation.

Did I hear that right?!

…is he going to…

I ran over to the edge of the pool and knelt down frantically looking for him under water.  
Oh God, please don't let it be what I think he meant!

I could see his figure under water but he didn't seem to be moving. Was he waiting, was he drowning?

The seconds ticked slower each time driving my patience. So without another second to waste, I hastily started removing my shoes and hair ties. I placed my things next to his on the floor and ran to the edge that was closest to where Hyuuga was under.

I wound up enough distance between me and the pool edge as I planned to dive.

The moment I started running, Hyuuga surfaced gasping for air.

A wave of relief coursed my body as I realized I was wrong, "Thank goodness…" I sighed out the relieving tension.

I walked over the rest of the distance as Hyuuga lifted himself out of the pool.

As I got closer my knees began to buckle, "You… you," I collapsed on my knees, "…idiot!" I bawled, "How can you try and kill yourself? –I didn't know what to do, I-"

"Kill myself?" He panted "I wasn't going to kill myself. I… just need to… get something… off of me." He remained sitting on the floor and sounded a bit lost, "besides, I have too much going on right now to just go and off myself."

Is he kidding me? I'm over here crying my eyes out thinking he was going to commit suicide, while he's just coming up with pointless excuses as to why he did this? Is he crazy?!

"You idiot!" I shouted interrupting him, "do you have any idea how worried I was?! Even after what you said in class, I- I was going to jump in after you! How can you say something so drastic in the last moment?" I couldn't even look at him.

Surprisingly he let out a small chuckle, "you were gonna go in after me?"

I shut my eyes tighter and looked away, "Shut up." How can he be carefree right now? "I was really scared."

We both remained silent sitting there. Me barefooted with my hair disheveled down everywhere, and him shivering shirtless.

"You should dry yourself or you might get sick," I finally spoke up and looked up at him.

It took me by surprise that I was actually sitting pretty close to him. I could have sworn I was at least a foot or two away, but the distance was more in between inches.

Had he gotten closer? He wasn't sitting directly in front of me but more like in a slanted way. And for the first time after this whole ordeal, I mustered up the courage to meet his gaze, except he didn't want to meet mine.

I waited quietly too see if he would turn to face me or say something, but it looked like he was thinking about something.

So I spoke again, "Did any of this help?"

He glanced at me finally, but didn't say anything.

His eyes caught me off guard.

Did I see that right? It was like a flash.

I leaned on my right side and tried to get a look at his far side.

He obviously noticed my curiosity.

"What are you doin-" He was about to ask, but my sudden realization cut him off.

"Woah~," I whispered as I found myself leaning closer to his face, "its… beautiful." I thought out loud, completely awed by the crimson color of his right eye.

He raised a brow confused over my actions.

"Is that fake?" I leaned back and tried to explain myself, "Sorry! I didn't- uhmm it's just your right eye-"

"What about-" He was about to ask but finally caught on. He instantly covered his right eye and slid away from me. And for the first time… I saw Hyuuga lose his composure.

He tried to stand up but he did so too quickly because his right leg slipped making him fall down on his left knee.

I tried standing up, but my legs had gone slightly numb from sitting on them too long, "Wait- what's wrong?" I called out to him as I got on my hands and knees instead.

Hyuuga gave up on the thought of running away. He stayed right where he had slipped and remained on that one knee.

"You saw it didn't you?" He asked still covering his right eye as he looked over his left shoulder.

I wished I could have said no to him, "I'm sorry." I felt like I saw something I wasn't supposed to.

"So what's it going to be this time?" He asked.

I didn't know what he was asking about so I stayed quiet.

He continued, "Are you going to be the type to run away scared thinking I'm some fuckin' freak side show? Or are you the type to stick around come up with any fucking random freak name?!"

I let my head drop and stared at the floor. I didn't know what to think. Instead, I broke down his question into pieces, "I…you-" I cleared my throat rethinking my choice of words, "I was… surprised. BUT not in a bad way!" I quickly retorted, "I mean- I've never met anyone with a red eye before but that doesn't mean I'm going to run and hide." I lifted my head and forced myself to stand up, "Why would you think that?" For some reason I felt like I was getting offended.

Hyuuga let out a sigh and slowly stood up, "It didn't scare you?" He turned and faced me but still kept his right eye covered.

I took a step closer, "Hyuuga, let me make this clear. No, your red eye did not- repeat did not- scare me. Why would it? Yeah, it's different from everyone else, but it's a part of you…" Daing it, I don't know what else to say.

He breathed out another sigh, but this one seemed full of relief. It took a few seconds of silence before he spoke.

"You're weird." He faintly smiled, catching me off guard.

"You- you- Hey! You shouldn't be calling me names either!" I pointed back nervously.

"So…" He took a few steps towards me until he was standing right in front of me.

I glanced up and down his bare chest making me even more nervous, but I turned away trying to hide it. "So what?" I asked mumbling from behind my hand.

He let his right hand drop to his side and exposed his red eye, "So you won't admit you're scared of someone with natural red eyes?"

Wait- 'eyes?' I lifted my gaze at his left eye. "Does that mean this eye is red too?" I pointed at my own left eye indicating his left eye.

He nodded.

"So both of your eyes are red? Really?" I couldn't help ask.

"My curse." He admitted.

A curse? Is he really burdened by his eye color? Well now that I think about it, the way he acted the moment he felt exposed really explained a lot. Does that mean everyone has ran away and called him names every time his true eye color was exposed?

"Well then," I walked around him, "I guess I'm weird too since I find your eye color pretty cool." I shrugged playfully as I headed towards our stuff on the floor.

I expected Hyuuga to follow me towards our stuff but it wasn't until I had grabbed both my shoes and picked up my jewelry that he finally decided to get his stuff.

I tried not to stare as he grabbed his shirt and slipped it on. His black Converse and jeans were still soaked.

"You sure you don't want to change into your gym clothes?" I asked holding out his glasses for him.

"I'm just going to head home. I need to get another contact lens." He grabbed his glasses and placed them in his front pocket.

I bit my lower lip letting my thoughts stray. He really does try to hide his true eye color from everyone, doesn't he? Can he really go home looking like that and not get in trouble? What about his backpack and the rest of the stuff he left in class?

Oh, "Uhmm what about your stuff in class? If you'd like I could get your stuff and give them to you later?" I waited feeling somewhat anticipated.

"I'll get them from you during lunch." He accepted the help.

I followed him to the pool entrance, "One last thing," I raised up my right pinky, "I pinky swear to the core that I Mikan Sakura will not tell a soul about your secret."

He glanced at me as we both stopped at the pool doors, "That's right. You better not tell anyone," he raised up his right hand and linked his pinky around mine, "It's weird trusting someone with this, but it can't be helped," he tightened his grip, "it's a secret."

I smiled at him one last time before we parted ways as soon as we entered the hallway. He walked away covering his right eye and I walked away with what felt like the only chance of becoming friends with Natsume Hyuuga.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_The thought of crossing electricity and water was obviously a death sentence. Did that stop me?- No. I did it to test the extremity of my piercings. Were they capable of posing a serious threat? _

_-I proved that wrong. The moment I jump into the water the piercings went cold. They recognized the sudden change of condition._

_This was all strange! How can earrings read into things? What the fuck? H- how? Does that mean they were built to torture me, not kill me? _

… _-fuck that! There's got to be a way to take these damn things off. _

_Somehow…_

_And of course how things work, one problem leads to another so now I have her to deal with. I practically split my problem into two! _

_First, I vent out on her and make her cry. Then I drag her along and make her help me all desperate and shit. And before I realize it, I'm freakin' making pinky promises with her? –really?_

…_man, I'm pathetic. She could have torn me apart with the perfect opportunity I gave her. _

_What am I to expect? Everyone that has seen my eyes so far had given me hell. Obviously I'm going to assume she's gonna think like that._

…_But beautiful? _

_I didn't expect that_.

_I had always experienced the 'pointing and laughing' never the compliment. _

_The feeling that hit me that very moment- even up to date I can't describe. _

_IT was new… very new._

* * *

"Hyuuga," my boss called out from the end of the food isle I was restocking, "finish up the bottom row and your done for the night."

He didn't wait for a response. He simply expected me to do it and call it a night.

By the time I was in the employee room, it was ten till eight. The whole time I was working my shift, I've been keeping track of time.

All because of yesterday.

* * *

_Flashback:_

I had changed into a different set of clothes except shoes. I tried getting as much water out of them as possible since they were the only shoes I had. But it didn't help much.

I returned back to school a few minutes into lunch after dropping off Youichi at the daycare near my school. A few steps past the school gate and I already saw Sakura waiting by her car with my backpack on the trunk of her car.

She smiled and waved the moment she noticed me.

Once I was close enough I returned the wave before returning my hand back in my pocket.

"Hey I got your stuff just like I promised," she reached back and grabbed my backpack; "see?" she held it out for me to grab.

"Thanks." I swung one of the straps over my shoulder, "You got hell for this didn't you?" I couldn't help ask.

She blinked twice realizing I had actually initiated a conversation, "How did you know?" She asked highly excited, "Like ALL my friends kept asking why I had your stuff and all," she paused while scratching her right temple, "They were kind of mad because of what you said." Her voice trailed off.

"You know," I leaned up against the red Volvo next to her car, "I could really care less about what your friends thought, really. But- you, did you get mad?"

She frowned and looked away before speaking, "I didn't get mad. Actually I felt guilty. Like, I knew what you were getting at since what you said was basically true. I did follow you around and I recognized it. In all truth, I was being nosy," she shrugged and faced me, "I guess I can admit I deserved it."

Is she serious? "You're too naïve you know that?" No one deserves to get yelled at, "Especially you." I mumbled out loud enough for her to hear me.

She tipped her head curiously, "me?" She questioned, "maybe…"

"maybe what?" I didn't know what she meant.

She blew air out at her bangs, "About being naïve."

Dammit I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Yes, she was naïve but it sounded as though I just shoved it in her face. "Well anyways, about today… sorry for dragging you along and making you cry. I've been caught up in a few things and I vented out on you."

She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "See I knew something like that was happening. It was stress talking, not actually you. But even still, you kinda told me the truth. I've been really nosy, so I won't bug you as much anymore. Just know you have a friend now, so don't hesitate to ask." She turned to grab something out of her bag. It was a sticky note pad and a pen.

She wrote something down and handed me the note, "This is my number, if you need help with someone watching Youichi or something else you might need help with, call me and I'll help."

I was a little surprised on how easily she trusted me with her number. She saw I wasn't reaching for her note so she stuck it on my shoulder.

I peeled it off and looked at the number, "I don't have a phone." I mumbled.

"It's okay," she smiled, "Just use your house phone."

I tried not to give her a bad look. She seriously thought I meant cell phone. God, this girl is… I let out a sigh, "I'll keep that in mind." I didn't bother correcting her.

"Hey Mikan!" We both turned to look at Nogi walking towards us. "Oh and Hyuuga." I guess he didn't notice I was with Sakura until he got closer.

I didn't say anything and crumbled the sticky note in my hand before shoving my hands in my pockets.

"How's your migraine dude? It looked serious." Nogi asked as he stopped next to Sakura.

He didn't seem so interested while it was happening, "It's fine." I replied while observing Sakura's confused expression.

"You had a migraine?" She asked.

Instead of me answering, Nogi answered for me, "Yeah. It hit him hard as soon as you left."

Sakura looked at me, "Is that what it was?"

I had no choice but to nod. It was the best suitable answer for what had happened earlier. It made more sense than the actual truth.

"So water makes you feel better?" Sakura tried putting the pieces together.

"Uhmm yeah." I agreed with her assumptions.

Now Nogi looked confused, "Wait- Mikan you saw him?"

Sakura nodded, but I answered for her, "It's a long story." She got the hint that I didn't want him to know any more than what was said.

"I see…" Nogi went quiet.

The conversation went awkwardly silent. Nobody attempted to start a conversation. The school bell actually was quicker than us and signaled the end of lunch.

All three of us headed for the school's main building without saying anything. Nogi lead Sakura while I trailed after.

As we reached the guys locker rooms, Sakura grabbed my arm stopping me from going inside, "Uhmm about tomorrow. I'm not asking you to go, but I do hope I can get to see you and Youichi there."

I couldn't turn her down like I did before. This time it was different. It felt different. "I won't promise anything." I answered earning a smile from her in return.

She released my arm, "Thanks, it's that little hope that matters." She waved and left down the opposite end of the hallway towards the girl's locker room.

I stood there and watched as she went into the girl's locker room.

I shook my head and smirked as I headed inside the guys locker room.

She was really something.

_End of flashback_

* * *

I considered the option of going to the game on the exception that I didn't get offered overtime. I didn't tell Sakura I was going. So all I knew was that the Varsity game starts at eight-thirty.

"Hey Hyuuga," my bossed stopped me just before I reached the exit.

The sudden feeling of disappointment crossed my mind, "its overtime isn't it?" I asked.

In return, he smirked and crossed his arms, "Actually quite the opposite. No overtime, and I don't want you coming in tomorrow."

That took me aback. "But why?"

"Really boy- You're asking why? (Humph) and here I thought you wanted your birthday off and paying you for the day as a present." He smiled and held his hand out, "So what do you say? Still bummed about not coming in tomorrow?"

My… my birthday? The news surprised me, "Uhmm thank you sir." I didn't hide my surprised expression as I reached out to shake his hand.

I've never really celebrated my birthday because of the fact that it's not really the day I was born. November twenty-ninth was simply the day I was picked up by the orphanage. And from there on they used that very date to keep track of my age.

I thanked my boss one last time before heading out the door and heading towards the school. Another reason to head in that direction is because of the fact that Youichi's daycare is a block away from the high school. Getting Youichi and hurrying to school, I managed to get the both of us to the stadium entrance with ten minutes left.

The lights and the crowd roared as the first game came to an end. Youichi seemed startled because of all the accumulated noise the people were making. I could understand, even I was surprised by how the crowd was pumped up.

I tightened my grip on Youichi's hand and started walking down the crowded stairway. By the time we reached the bottom rail, the Varsity coach along with his team, were already making their way to the field.

Was I too late?

I glanced around for the nearest entrance to the field and started pushing towards the left.

Once there, the field entrance was blocked off by two security guards. Apparently no one was allowed on the field unless you were in the homecoming committee or taking part in the game.

Shit, all of this is starting to make me regret ever even showing up.

I glanced around the railing to see if I could see an opening and pulled Youichi with me. I pushed between two girls that seemed too distracted and got an opening on the rail.

I knew I couldn't get a hold of the coach from here, but I did have someone else in mind that could help pull the strings to get me through.

Before I made my next move, I switched Youichi's grip to the side of my pants, "Don't let go okay? Hold on." I stepped up on the bottom two bars on the rail and looked over towards the cheerleaders. I put my right thumb and index finger to my lips and blew a loud steady whistle that got a lot of people's attention. My whistle rang loud enough to get most of the cheerleader's attention and Sakura in particular. She seemed like she didn't recognize me at first but quickly ran over upon realizing it.

I signaled her to meet me at the field entrance and started heading in that direction.

By the time I had reached the front again, she had already convinced the security guard to let me through. Just when I brushed past the guard he grabbed my left shoulder, "Hey the kid can't go. He's gonna have to stay." He pulled Youichi's hand out of my hand.

My reflex was to reach back to grab Youichi, but another hand reached further than mine.

"It's alright, I got him," Sakura had leaned forward enough to grab Youichi by the forearm, "I'll keep him with me the whole time."

The security guard eyed us both considering whether to believe Sakura.

"…Alright- fine." He pointed at Sakura and then at me, "I don't want him running around. And you're responsible if he gets hurt. Got that?"

Sakura was first to nod and smiled back at me before leading the way to the field.

"Hey, I'm going to tell the coach real quick that you got here, wait here for a bit. She stopped us at the field bench, so I couldn't do anything but wait and watch as she ran over to the coach. Past them, the Varsity team was warming up and exchanging passes.

It wasn't long before the coach jogged over and Sakura grabbed Youichi away from me.

"Son, this for real? You want in?" The coach spun me around as he linked his arm around my shoulders and led us to the sport lockers.

I heard his questions but I couldn't quit looking back at Youichi as I left him behind.

Sakura seemed to be yelling something to me but I couldn't make out what it was. She did raise up her hand holding Youichi's and pointed at it giving me a hint of what she was saying.

She was gonna look after him. I felt unsure and slightly convinced but all I could do was look back.

Once in the locker room, the coach didn't waste time to get me dressed and asking me the necessary questions.

"Any injuries, drugs, steroids, fractions, disabilities I should know about?"

I strapped the shoulder guard over my black shirt, "No, I'm clean and I've been cleared about my fractured ribs."

"I want to believe you about being clean, but it's mandatory to get you screened. I'll let you play tonight, but Monday you have to go through a physical check-up alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine." I finished setting up the black leg padding and waited for the coach to hand me a jersey.

"Here's a jersey and cleats," He guessed my size right.

Once fully uniformed, I placed my clothes in one of the empty lockers and got a helmet handed to me.

"Take this- but first take those piercings off," he glanced at his watch and hurried to the door.

I tried not to scoff out loud at his request. I know damn well these things don't come off. So I pretended to look as if I was taking them off. The moment he checked his watch, I push the helmet down on my head and slammed the locker shut.

"Ready."

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

I sat on the grass with Youichi while we waited for Hyuuga and the coach to return.

I couldn't believe it; Hyuuga was actually here and set on playing for this very night! I couldn't help but think that he was actually doing it because I asked him. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered at the thought.

Can he really be here because I asked him? He was saying no to every else. Or maybe it could be the fact that he felt guilty for venting out on me? Could that be it?

I couldn't think up anything else since the referees blew the whistles for coaches and captains to gather.

Come on, where are they? I looked back at the walkway to the locker rooms again feeling anxious.

My heart felt like it skipped a beat the moment Hyuuga ran out to the field with the coach.

He made it!

* * *

**Chapter complete! Had to end it there since this would have been over 10k if I would have stopped where I intended to. You guys wouldn't want me to torture yous with so much reading now do yas? lol**

**Well yups next chapter is actually the second half of this one.**

**What did you guys think? Please review or message :D**

**oh one last thing, I don't have a beta for this fanfiction story so I've been working on it all on my own. And if its not much trouble, if I could get a few volunteers to help beta? -it gets kinda tiring reading the same chapter up to four times at most lol**

**so let me know if you're willing to help. Will be really TRULY appreciated :3**

**Thanx for reading and hope to see what i have planned for next time!**


	6. Friends part II

**So part 2 just like I promised. This was actually the intended ending to the previous chapter, but since it was too big I split it in half. So... happy to post a week later to keep it together. **

**ENJOY :D**

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"Hello?" The call was unknown.

"_Hi Mikan, it's me Anna. Sorry I'm calling you with my house phone, I couldn't find my phone!"_

I smiled, "No wonder my phone didn't recognize it. Well what'sup?"

"_I'm wondering… did you start getting ready already?"_

"Umm no. I'm about to though." I held up a steel-blue dress against my chest and inspected my reflection.

"_Oh good. You see me and Nonoko convinced a few of the girls to get ready at my place. Well no, actually they wanted Nonoko to do their make-up so I'm wondering if you'd like to get ready over here too."_

"Hmm…" I wouldn't really know. If I go over there to get ready, my chances of forgetting something were high. "Umm Anna, I don't know. Like I'm really forgetful- what if I forget something?"

Anna giggled to my reaction.

"_Mikan it's not that hard. Just get your dress, heels, necklace, and anything else you might need I'll have, so get over here." She playfully ordered._

She really wanted me over there huh, "Well okay I guess. Just let me get everything and I'll be there in a bit." I scanned my room for the necessary items.

"'_kay see ya." _

I placed my phone down on my computer desk and looked at my reflection. "Do I really want to go in blue?" I grabbed the mullet part of my hair and held it up in a messy up-due.

It'll look fine I guess.

* * *

Within thirty minutes I was able to pick and choose my outfit before heading over to Anna's place.

Judging by how many cars were parked in the driveway and along the sidewalk, I knew basically the whole squad was here.

I carried everything I planned to wear to the dance in my arms as I walked up to Anna's door.

When I rang the doorbell and the door opened, my eyes widened a little. I expected Anna to open the door not six other girls followed by Anna.

"He-ey…" my voice trailed off.

"Great Mikan, you made it," Anna smiled from the back, "quick this way. We already started the make-up session."

I gently pushed passed the group of girls in front of the door and followed Anna, "Umm Anna, how many people are here?"

She glanced over her shoulder as we walked through the long hallway towards her room, "Well we invited ten girls, but there are twelve."

I raised a brow, "Wow, that's a lot of us."

Once we reached Anna's room it was hectic. Everyone seemed to have claimed a small section of the room to themselves. I guess this is when having a big room comes in handy. Anna's room is a whole lot bigger than mine. Well her room and her house. She's lived in a gated private community since we were little. I met her back in middle school. And if I remember correctly, her dad is a lawyer and her mom is in real estate.

"Mikan," Anna walked over to me with curling iron and hairbrush at hand, "Let me do your hair while everyone finishes up their make-up."

"Sure." I nodded and placed my things down on a small edge of her cluttered bed.

Everyone mingled and talked in their small groups around the room as we got ready for the homecoming dance. It wasn't until Sumire got everyone's attention that we all contributed to the same conversation.

"Guys, guys, wasn't yesterday's game epic?!" She shifted sitting up on her knees sounding really enthused.

"Oh I know!" One of Sumire's friends spoke up, "How many touchdowns did that Natsume guy score? Was it three or four?"

"Four." I answered a little too quickly since everyone turned to look at me.

After a few seconds somebody else added in, "Hey, I don't know about you guys but I noticed something weird-" before she could finish Sumire cut her off.

"Oh his way of landing!" She stood up sharply, "I thought I was the only one that noticed?"

I glanced around the room and a lot of the girls were nodding and whispering that they noticed it too.

Sumire continued, "It was like he always found a way to land on his feet or even on his hands!"

My mind recalled back to a few vivid images of Hyuuga's actions during the game.

Anna strangely giggled from behind me, "Oh you know what he reminded me of?" I glanced over my shoulder as we all focused our attention on her.

"What?" Sumire asked.

Anna smiled, "He reminded me of a cat." Everyone laughed and nodded as Anna continued, "You see, no matter how long the fall or how hard the cat falls, the cat always finds a way to land on its feet. That's why he reminded me of a cat."

I knew what Anna was trying to say. She wasn't trying to make fun of Hyuuga, but for some reason it felt like the other girls were. And it bothered me somehow. I wasn't laughing or agreeing with anyone. I stayed quiet and listened to them as they recalled different plays of the game. Sumire even went as far as to try and imitate some of the ways Hyuuga had landed. She was making fun of him.

Sumire and her friends kept pushing it to the point that I couldn't bite my tongue anymore. I could see why Hyuuga stayed away from people like this. For anything out of the ordinary, people find it okay to point and laugh.

"He's so weird!" Sumire's friend shouted into laughing fits as she joined in with Sumire in her stunts.

I couldn't help but say something, "Sumire, Nika?" I interrupted their laughing, "You do realize you're making fun of the guy who won the game for us."

"Mikan, we're not making fun of him," Nika answered confidently, "We just find him weird."

"He's weird because he has better reflexes than the ordinary person?" I closed my eyes avoiding their stares, "If you ask me, that's talent."

Sumire and her friend didn't say anything. They quietly sat down and joined the other girls staring at me.

I knew I had just killed the mood. Did I feel guilty? –No. It felt better than the burning lump in my throat.

I opened my eyes to see everyone back to doing their make-up and hair without a word.

It stayed like that for a few minutes until Sumire broke the silent, "You know what Mikan," I tried glancing at her but Anna was standing in front of me, "I remember Ruka asking you who you'd be cheering for. I heard you loud and clear tell him you'd be cheering for everyone. Ha! What a lie. It's pretty obvious who you were cheering for."

A few of the girls started whispering and looking around confused. I couldn't tell what face Sumire had on at the time.

"And you know what?" Sumire continued, "I actually feel bad for Ruka. You were like crazy about him until this Hyuuga weirdo guy showed up."

"He's not a weirdo!" I cut off her ramble as soon as I heard her insult him.

"See Mikan, admit it! If Hyuuga would have shown up a week later, you would have been Ruka's girlfriend." Sumire sounded completely confident on her statement.

"That's not true." I quietly spoke with no equal confidence. "He's my friend."

"Who?- Hyuuga? Mikan please, the guy even told you to stop stalking him. He basically called you a pest. You seriously call THAT a friend?" She laughed knowing she was winning over the other girls, "Heck, you can consider you and I friends compared to that so-called friendship you have with him."

I tried not to sniffle out loud as I wiped a stray tear down my left cheek. Thankfully Anna was still blocking everyone from my sight. Why did Anna have to be cousins with Sumire? She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that reason.

"Anything to say Mikan?" Sumire challenged.

Many thoughts rushed my mind. I had plenty to say… but I couldn't.

"Okay then different scenario," Sumire continued attacking me, "Let's say both Ruka and Natsume show up to the homecoming dance tonight and both ask for your hand to dance at the same time. Would you reach out for Ruka or would you pick Hyuuga instead?"

I felt the stares, the spotlight, and that burning lump in my throat growing bigger. Anna had long finished with that section of my hair yet she stood in front of me to shield me. I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. If I said something now, my voice would tremble.

"Shouda?" We all turned to look at the door to find Hotaru standing by the doorway, "You'd kill to be in her shoes right now. It doesn't matter how much you try and make Mikan feel like shit. She has the option and you don't. Mikan is stupid enough to have the heart to hold back, but I don't. So get off her case now or I'll roast you twice as bad."

I wish I could thank Hotaru for standing up for me that very moment. Everyone just sat there and watched me take blow, after blow, after blow.

"She still hasn't answered my question." Sumire countered back.

"And you didn't deny anything that I said, so it's all true." Hotaru sharply replied.

"Hotaru, shut up. This has nothing to do with you." Nika stepped in as well.

I rolled my eyes. You know what? I can't take this anymore. Why am I still here?

I surprised everyone by standing up.

"Mikan wait," Anna stopped me, "I haven't finished your hair."

"It's okay… um I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." I headed past her and towards the door. I whispered a thanks to Hotaru and stalked out into the hallway.

"Wait Mikan," Anna called out, "There's a bathroom assigned to my room uhmm…" Her voice trailed off as I rushed through the hallway. I checked for keys in my front pocket. There was no way I'd return after that.

I didn't care if I left my things behind. I jumped in my car and left.

I didn't know where I was driving to; I simply knew I wasn't heading home. I cleared my mind as I drove.

Sumire had attacked me, but it only hurt because she was using actual facts against me. All the 'what ifs' she provided confused me. I wouldn't know how things would have turned out. So what if Hyuuga wouldn't have moved here? What would I have done? Dammit- I wouldn't know. It just… really hurt me when I saw them making fun of him. Was it because of his reaction towards me when I saw his true eye color? They would definitely be the kind of people to call him names or laugh at him. I hate to admit it but, I'm truly surrounded by those kinds of people! Have I been wearing a blindfold this whole time?

I pulled my car into a random parking lot and parked my car. There was no way I had a clue as to where I was going, but here I sat in front of Hyuuga's part-time job.

"How did I end up here?" I whimpered as I rested my forehead on the steering wheel. Did I seriously just…

I pushed the thought of driving away out of option; I mean I drove here for a reason so I might as well find out.

I stepped out of my car and headed for the front of the grocery store.

If worse comes to worse, I'll just buy a water. No harm done.

As soon as I got close enough to see the front entrance, I didn't expect to find Hyuuga and Youichi eating ice cream cones on a table right outside of the store.

Dammit, this was too sudden!

I stopped immediately when Hyuuga caught sight of me. He tilted his head a little confused as to why I was here, but I didn't know why I was here either so that made two of us.

I walked up to them and sat right next to Hyuuga without saying anything.

"You know it's past six and you're still in your pajamas." Hyuuga stated making me glance down at my pink polka-dotted shorts and matching top. Damn I forgot! I blushed completely embarrassed but I didn't say anything. Instead, I crossed my arms and laid my forehead down.

After a few minutes I felt the table shift followed with Natsume leaving somewhere. I turned to look at Youichi happily licking his vanilla ice cream, "So you like vanilla ice cream," I mumbled earning a quick nod from him. A smile tempted my lips knowing I learned something about Youichi.

I continued to stare at the open parking lot with my head down until a strawberry ice cream cone surprised me out of nowhere when Hyuuga returned.

"I didn't know what flavor you liked." He said as he sat down between me and Youichi.

I sat up and smiled, "Thank you. You guessed right." I grabbed the cone.

This reminded me of something he did a while back, "You like the strawberry flavor don't you Hyuuga? And Youichi likes vanilla." I pressed my lips together in a thin line.

"What makes you think I like strawberry?" He asked.

"You gave me a strawberry flavored treat just like before. That strawberry flavored lollipop back on your first day of school." I couldn't help stare at the ice cream cone pinched in between my fingers.

"You remember that?" He sounded a bit surprised.

I nodded, "Yeah. That's why I believe that your favorite is strawberry. You're not the type of person to give something you didn't like to someone."

He raised a brow, "You can say that even when I'm eating chocolate flavored right now?"

"Yes, even so." I insisted.

He shifted from where he was sitting and sat on top of the table with his legs on the seat.

"It's melting." He pointed out.

The ice cream's melted strands were beginning to reach my fingers. And out of impulse I took a big bite out of the ice cream making me whimper out in pain.

Hyuuga watched me in awe as I fought through the brain freeze. It even seemed like he held back from laughing.

I coughed frantically after swallowing the last remains, "Sorry…" I coughed in between, "I needed that." I continued coughing.

"You needed a brain freeze?" He asked curiously.

I knew it sounded stupid. But I still nodded.

Hyuuga turned to look at Youichi who was watching me the whole time, "See what she just did Youichi? Don't ever do that. That's why you eat ice cream slowly. Because then that happens."

Geez thanks Hyuuga. Way to use me as a bad example. I couldn't help hit the side of his leg lightly with my fist.

He smirked at me, "Did it work?"

It was my turn to give him the curious stare.

"You seemed off. I thought you were sick or something." He explained.

I gently smiled considering the fact that he was worried, "No I'm not sick. I was just…scrambled up."

He gave me a 'what the hell' expression, "Scrambled? Really? You couldn't say confused?"

I sat up straight, "Yeah, that too!"

He literally face palmed himself, "Wow." Was all he whispered out.

"Hey you'd be too if you were me!" I countered back.

"Oh really?" He taunted, "Let's hear it. What's causing your brain to 'scramble'?"

I bit my lip while thinking up of a way to summarize what was nagging me, "Well… umm have you ever wondered about 'what ifs?' Like if things would have happened differently if something or someone wasn't there to change things? That kind of problem."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "I did at some point, but not anymore. I know better now. You can't consider what doesn't exist. And that's what 'what ifs' are."

"But what if things could have been totally different?" I couldn't help ask for his advice.

"Then they would have happened." He shortly replied.

I processed what he just said and it totally turned on a light bulb somewhere in my head, "So you're saying that if things are meant to happen they happen? Regardless of anything?"

"Things happen for a reason whether it's regarding something or someone. That's the significance of existing in this dimension. Don't bother worrying about what a parallel universe might hold. It's none of your concern. It's nobody's concern." He sounded like he spoke from experience.

Did he go through a 'what if' phase too?

"You speak from experience don't you?" I asked.

He nodded once, "Yeah. Someone told me this when I was a kid and it stuck to me since then."

I smiled brightly at him. Hyuuga had completely helped ease my mind. All of Sumire's questions and scenarios, everything was bull. All those 'what ifs' she threw at me were all pointless. I recognized it now, "Thank you. You have no idea how relieved I feel right now. Oh and I also feel a bit dumb for worrying about something clearly out of my hands."

He leaned back and reclined on his hands, "So was that all?"

I nodded even though I felt embarrassed for admitting it.

I felt dumb and embarrassed. How could I let something so simple trouble me so much?

The silence between us lingered for longer than a minute. I knew I had to break it since I was the one that went silent.

I stepped up from my seat and sat on the table just like Hyuuga, "So what brought you guys here on a Saturday?" I asked changing the subject.

"He wanted ice cream." Hyuuga simply answered, "What about you?"

His question made me look down at my pajamas, "I WAS getting ready to go to the dance tonight. But…" I raised my right index finger and pointed up, "I changed my mind! I don't want to go and I'm NOT going to consider what could have happened if I would have gone." I crossed my arms and legs.

Hyuuga glanced at me and pointed at my hair, "That explains your hair."

I had totally forgotten one side was fully curled and the other side was left straight. "Don't worry, this can easily be solved." I stated while pulling a hair tie off my left wrist and piling my hair into a high messy ponytail. "Voilà!" I raised my hands up cheerfully.

"Not much of a magic trick, but you seem back to normal." Hyuuga stood up. "We should get going, it's getting dark." He motioned to Youichi to stand up.

Somehow I ended up standing up as well. I didn't want him to leave; not yet. "Do you have plans for tonight?" I asked a little urgently.

He took a few seconds to answer, "sort of."

I looked down and frowned, "Oh…" was all I could say.

I had bailed on my plans and had nothing to do. I didn't want to go home and sulk on my own.

Youichi didn't let me brood long though since he grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards Hyuuga.

I didn't hide my surprised look from Hyuuga as I let Youichi pull me along, "Umm I think he wants me to go?"

Hyuuga placed his hands in his pockets and walked towards us, "He wants you to go."

I couldn't help grin with a wide smile, "Does that mean I'm invited?"

Hyuuga shrugged, "It's up to him."

I couldn't help hop in joy and place a quick kiss on Youichi's forehead.

Youichi surprisingly look up at me confused and rubbed his forehead. He had the expression as if I did something wrong.

Could it be that he didn't know what a kiss was? Oh no, I have to find a way to explain somehow, "Youichi doesn't know what a kiss is huh?" I knelt down and referred the question to Hyuuga.

Hyuuga walked over and crouched down next to me, "Apparently not."

We both turned our attention to Youichi still rubbing his forehead.

I shot a quick glare at Hyuuga, "Does that mean you've never kissed your brother before?" That's really mean!

"Does it look like I have?" He argued.

I tried to hold back from getting angry at Hyuuga in front of Youichi, "So anyways, umm Youichi?" I placed my hand on his forehead, "… what I just did is called a kiss. And uhh you only do that to someone you like!" I specifically made that clear, which Hyuuga scoffed to and took as a joke. Way to make things awkward jerk! I shoved Hyuuga to the side and turned Youichi to look at me, "Don't pay attention to him. Listen, a kiss is like a candy. It makes someone you like feel happy when you do that."

"Wait-" Hyuuga stopped me, "I gave you a piece of candy before, that doesn't mean I-" Before he could finish his sentence, I shoved him a second time.

"It made me happy okay!" I shouted back at him, "That's why a candy is like a kiss. And a kiss is like a candy." I finished my explanation while holding back the urge to glare at Hyuuga. Can't he see I'm teaching Youichi the innocent way of interpreting a kiss?!

The second I averted my eyes to look at Hyuuga, Youichi caught me by surprise and leaned in to kiss me on the lips. His kiss was a quick playful peck but it was enough to sit me back in shock. I wasn't the only one surprised either, Hyuuga even gasped when he saw it happen.

I didn't have time to be surprised! QUICK- if I didn't act fast that would make things bad and hurt Youichi's feelings. He did it innocently.

"Juu—juu—just like that," my smile quivered, "That's a ki—kiss that you make someone happy with." I sounded so awkward.

I watched Hyuuga take a knee and grab Youichi by the shoulder, "See how happy you made her? She can barely hold back," Hyuuga ruffled his hair and pulled money out of his pocket, "Now go and get yourself another ice cream cone so we can leave."

Youichi grinned happily and ran into the store leaving Hyuuga and I by ourselves.

Hyuuga inched over and stayed kneeling in front of me, "See, I knew it was a bad idea comparing it to candy."

I couldn't help cover my mouth, "I… I can't believe my first kiss was wasted on a six year old boy." I mumbled out loud enough for Hyuuga to hear.

Hyuuga blinked twice a little surprised, "Your… first kiss?"

I tried giggling to make it seem like it wasn't such a big deal, "I'm probably over thinking it. I mean… he's a kid. He probably did it to say he liked me and…" I sounded desperate and upset.

Hyuuga looked away and let out a long sigh, "I wouldn't know how to explain this one to you."

I stared wide eyed at him, "You mean… you haven't had your first kiss?" I gawked at him.

He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No, and you shouldn't consider Youichi's kiss your first either."

I stopped hiding from behind my hand and shrugged, "I'll try. It just surprised me and it felt kinda funny." I relaxed a little.

Hyuuga didn't seem too convinced, he actually looked troubled.

Did he feel responsible for not stopping Youichi?

"Hey umm it's okay," I began to explain as I reached to push his shoulder playfully with my left hand, but he caught my wrist. I gasped instantly.

He dropped his other knee and reached for the back of my neck with his free hand. His sudden actions made me gasp a second time as he hastily leaned in to kiss me.

That very moment I forgot how to breathe, think, and blink. I stared wide eyed at him with no discretion what's so ever.

He didn't have his eyes fully closed so he noticed and pulled away briefly, "Close your eyes." His breath brushed my lips warmly causing a wave of chills to course down my entire body.

On command, I instantly shut my eyes tight as I felt his lips touch mine a second time. My heart only beat harder as he massaged my lips with his. I hand no idea what I was doing or what I was supposed to do.

My jaw trembled once I noticed his fingers leave the back of my neck and tip my chin up.

He wanted me to move. My heart hammered even faster as I attempted to move my lips slowly imitating his actions.

Somehow I felt my right hand looking for my other hand in his grip and found his hand on my wrist. My hand tightly covered his right hand and pulled it towards me. It was as if I needed to hold on to something or else I'd fall.

My heart jumped as I felt him switch his grip from my wrist to my gripping hand. He linked his fingers through mine and forcibly pulled our linked hands towards his chest.

I gasped and pulled the kiss apart but he caught the back of my neck with his left hand and pulled me into his lips again.

My eyes peeked open for a second and saw that his eyes remained the same. Half open. The whole time he had been watching us.

He noticed me look and purposely deepened the kiss. I shut my eyes knowing I've been caught. And before I knew it, I had let out a soft moan that made him smirk on my lips.

My lips trembled feeling his lips pull away. For the first time he was the one to pull away.

The heat on my lips was so strong I felt like they were burning. I covered my mouth and tried to hide the fact that they were pulsing with heat.

"See the difference?" He breathed out covering his mouth with the back of his hand, "Youichi wasn't your first kiss. I was. You can't say your first kiss was a waste anymore. And you have my first kiss to prove it." He released our linked hands.

Even with what he said it didn't help. It was less worrisome thinking that a six year old stole a simple kiss.

But for Natsume Hyuuga to actually be the one to steal my first REAL kiss? The thought didn't help. It only made my breathing push harder.

"I…I…" I breathed out from behind my hand trying to talk but failed miserably. Without a word, my eyes slowly trailed to my right to find Youichi sitting down eating his ice cream.

My face couldn't grow any redder. Oh my God! I covered my face with my hands. How long was he there?! Did he see?

"Di—did you notice he wa—was there?" I stammered from behind my hands.

"No." Hyuuga straightened up and stood up brushing his pants, "So much for sending him for ice cream."

I peeked through my fingers to see him place his glasses back on and extend his hand out to me, "Here, I'll help you up."

I instantly shook my head. Uh-uh no way! "I… can't." There was no way I could stand. My legs were in complete jello mode. "Just umm… give me a few seconds." I continued hiding my face.

Hyuuga on the other hand, squatted down again to my eye level, "I scared you didn't I?" He asked averting his eyes to the ground, "If it helps, I'll apologize. I just couldn't let your 'first kiss' be considered a waste because of my brother."

My heart sank a little. The idea of him feeling responsible for Youichi's actions was jus thought. Hearing him tell me up front that the only reason why he sacrificed his own first kiss was to make up for my lost first kiss, only gave me the feeling of disappointment.

Wait- did that mean that I enjoyed the kiss and that I wanted it to be emotion based? Did I want to believe that it was him kissing me because he wanted too not because he had too?

I'm so pathetic. How could I deceive myself so bad? I thought back to what Sumire had pointed out earlier. My relationship with Hyuuga could hardly even be called a friendship. How could I believe there was more to it all of a sudden?

Not once did I resist or push away. I even replied to the kiss. The complete opposite!

I silently whimpered inside my head. Why did I kiss him back?

"Hey," Hyuuga broke my concentrated mental debate, "You alright in there?"

I didn't reply but I did take three long deep breaths and focused the little bit of courage I had left. It helped me enough to bring me back up to my feet and stand tall in front of Hyuuga.

I took another deep breath and finally spoke, "You… don't need to apologize. I also made you waste your first kiss, so… we're even," Even though my face continued to glow red I forced a smile, "You don't have to worry about it, okay?"

He slowly stood up and let out a long sigh, "So even after all that, you still managed to consider your kiss a waste. Yet you don't want me to apologize?" Hyuuga looked down disappointed and grabbed Youichi.

I watched surprised as he walked around me and away. Wait- how the- is he just going to leave like that? I looked over my shoulder just in time to see him stop a few steps away and look back at me too.

Did I say something wrong? ...No, that couldn't be possible. If there should be someone upset, it should be me. Not him.

Hyuuga took a step towards me but still maintained distance, "Just so you know, you might have still considered your kiss a waste but as for mine I… didn't. I could care less about my first kiss, but even I know it wasn't a waste." He turned around and began to walk away, "You figure out the rest." He called out as he disappeared into the darkening streets along with Youichi.

Those words managed to echo in my mind several times. The thought of his words having actual emotion scared me but also made my heart skip.

He didn't consider his first kiss a waste. He believed that I did even after he had kissed me. And that… was my fault for misunderstanding.

Could it mean that… we both had an underlying reason to respond to the kiss?

* * *

Without a doubt I ended up returning home. It would have been too uncomfortable and awkward to follow them after that. And actually I wanted to get home.

I felt drained, cold, confused, and scared. There was no other place I wanted to be but home.

I pulled up to my drive way and noticed someone sitting on the patio's front steps.

I slowly turned my car off and got out of it.

My mind didn't have to jump to conclusions to know who it was. Judging by the partially long blond hair, I knew it was Ruka.

"Hey," he greeted me as he stood up, "I waited for you."

I glanced at the ground feeling awkward, "I'm sorry."

He shook his head and smiled, "It's alright. Imai told me what happened."

Oh man, what did Hotaru actually tell him to have him waiting in front of my house, "Did you wait long?" I asked.

"Not really. About an hour?" He walked over and held out something for me to grab, "Couldn't really call you since I had your phone with me. Imai told me to bring your stuff over."

I raised a brow, "She couldn't bring it herself?" This Imai… I'm gonna-

"I let her stay and enjoy then dance. Sorry to disappoint." Ruka responded sounding upset.

I instantly waved my hands in defense, "No, umm I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way. I meant it like, why did she have to make you do all these extra things when she's supposed to be my best friend." I added in a light giggle to lighten up the mood.

"I see," He gently smiled, "No don't worry. Don't blame Imai. I told her I'd do it on her behalf." He paused and walked back to the patio steps. I quietly followed behind him and sat down on the top step.

"So how was the dance?" I asked feeling a bit guilty.

He sighed, "I actually wouldn't know. I was there for like thirty minutes and came here."

Dammit! I felt like I messed up his night, "I'm really sorry Ruka. I ruined your night too."

"Too?" He looked at me confused, "Who else's night did you ruin?"

I looked around awkwardly, "I mean…since I ruined my own night and brought yours down along." Oh God, I almost said too much!

"So where did you end up running off too?" He changed the subject, "Now that I could see you up close, your mouth seems a bit swollen."

I gasped and covered my mouth instantly, "Is it swollen?" I asked trying to sound cooly, "Must have been all those ice cream cones I ate." I awkwardly laughed.

He laughed as well, "How many did you eat? You must have ate your heart out."

I rolled my eyes. Yeah I'll say…

"Can I see?" He asked wanting to see my mouth.

As much as I didn't want to show him, it would only raise too much suspicion if I declined. So with slow hesitation, I moved my hand down.

He leaned in and for a second almost made me flinch. I was tricked by this once; I wasn't going to let it happen again. But thankfully he stopped at a distance and pulled back.

"Ouch, did it hurt when the numbness went away?" He sat back down and faced forward.

This is so weird! I'm practically being asked about the kiss. That's what it felt like. I took a deep breath, "I felt it burn?" I answered.

He nodded, "That explains the swelling." He was about to say something else, but his phone started going off.

He checked it really quick and sighed, "I have to go. One of the guys texted me saying the coach wanted the team to gather up for some reason. Something about victory celebration."

I raised a brow, "Wouldn't that mean Hyuuga would have to be there?" I tried not to shy when I mentioned his name.

"Oh no, actually he told me yesterday he wasn't going to be there. He said he had plans or something. Something about his birthday being today? I don't know." Ruka shrugged and stood up.

"Wait- birthday?" I stood up, "His birthday was today?"

Ruka nodded, "Yeah. Well that was the excuse he used to get out of going to today's celebration."

Why didn't Hyuuga say anything? He was out eating ice cream with Youichi for his birthday? No, hold on- he did mention having some sort of plans. Is that what he and Youichi were going to go do?

"Alright Mikan, I'm gonna get going. They'll chew my head off if I make them wait any longer." Ruka walked up to me and surprised me by placing a quick kiss on my cheek. My hand quickly flew up to cover my cheek, "Good night." He said as he smiled over my reaction.

I stood there as I watched him get in his car and drive off.

...what just happened? There couldn't be a more confusing day than today.

* * *

**Great NatsumeXMikan moment right? xD**

**Finally the triangle is beginning to form between Natsume, Mikan, and Ruka. I kinda tried following some of the manga on this chapter, just molded it a little.**

**Soooo next chapter we'll get back into Natsume's POV since we missed out on his thoughts this chapter. Gotta keep up the suspense as to what might be running through his head.**

**Oh and remember to comment and review! helps me know fans are interested :)**

**Thanks for reading, till next time **


	7. Fear and Jealousy

**Hi everyone, finally back with a new chapter to MDBIC. Happy to update. **

**Just want to inform everyone that I had to switch back and forth between Mikan's and Natsume's point of views. I kinda had to since I advanced time a little bit. So i had to switch back and forth to keep up with both their lives. Although this chapter is smaller than what I'm used to writing, but i kept it short because of ALL the POV switching I was doing and I didn't want to make things too confusing. **

**(Did you see the new cover page? I made it lol one of a kind) **

**Hope you enjoy XD**

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

Monday morning and here I was at school bright an early. Not like I wanted to be here, but it was more like I didn't have a choice.

"Mikan, what happened?" Anna asked while waiting by my desk. She didn't look too happy to see me. "You didn't go to the dance?"

I knew this was going to happen the moment I showed up to school. Of course they would want to know where I was the whole weekend. After all, I did kinda run away without letting anyone know and had my phone off the whole time, "I'm sorry Anna." I gloomily took my seat dropping my bags on the side.

Anna knelt down next to my desk, "Was it because of what Sumire said to you?" She frowned.

I leaned my head down onto my forearms.

Oh yeah- As if Sumire psyching me was the problem. That was actually the least of my problems. Who cared what Sumire had said? Even I had forgotten.

"Mikan, are you okay?" Anna comfortingly patted my head showing concern.

I lifted my head and forced a smile, "No worries. I'm fine really. What Sumire said didn't even cross my mind." I answered not really sure if I had convinced her, "So umm where's Hotaru and Nonoko?"

Anna stood up and walked over to her table, "Nonoko went to get a latte at the cafeteria and Hotaru hasn't showed up yet." She eyed me suspiciously, "Mikan, are you sure you're okay?"

I instantly nodded, "Yup, I'm just not a Monday person!" She had no idea how hard it was for me to act like my usual self, "Honest. So how about you tell me about the dance? Was it any fun?"

"Well…" Anna contemplated whether to believe my sudden change of attitude, "the dance was okay. We won homecoming so that made things a lot better. Just…" she paused, "why didn't you go?" Her sudden question startled me, "Do you have any idea what you missed out on?" she asked sounding a bit frustrated.

I almost lost my façade there for a second, "I have no idea what I missed?" I shrugged.

Anna let out a long sigh and scratched the back of her head, "I promised Ruka it was a secret…" She bit her lip and sharply looked at me, "Ruka told me he was going to ask you to be his girlfriend during the dance."

My eyes widened, "He said that?!" I stood up surprised.

I had seen Ruka that night! He was there at my house that very night and didn't say a thing! I stupidly told him how I was out eating ice cream instead! Now I felt worse for lying to him. "Anna are—are you sure Ruka said that?" My voice trembled.

Anna on the other hand nodded, "Yes, he promised me not to tell anyone, so pretend you don't know okay?" She crossed her arms, "So care to tell me where you were that night or even Sunday?"

Not this again. She was really pushing to know. I bit my lower lip remembering the kiss. "I…" I couldn't find the courage to tell her, not after what she had told me, "I can't say." It just felt wrong.

She would definitely flip if I told her what happened Saturday. Especially now after what Ruka had told her. Everyone was on Ruka's side! I frustratedly let out a long breath. It was stupid because even I felt like I was on Ruka's side-just not fully? AH! I didn't know anymore!

"What kind of answer is that?" Hotaru asked as she approached us. Apparently she heard what Anna had asked and my lame excuse, "Mikan, you know I'm not buying that."

I know that! "It's true! Even I don't know what happened Saturday, okay?" I felt the heat on my cheeks creeping up.

Dammit, it was more intimidating trying to convince Hotaru than Anna or Nonoko put together!

"Mikan, save it." Hotaru walked around me and got into the seat next to me, "And Anna, don't bother asking her anymore. You're just backing her up into a corner, and all you're going to get are made up excuses."

Wow, she couldn't be any blunter than that.

"She's obviously hiding something, aren't you Mikan?" Hotaru followed up.

I pouted and looked away in defeat. "Whatever." She was right.

"So care to explain why the excess of lip gloss?" Hotaru changed the subject.

I couldn't help glare at her for aiming at another bull's-eye. "New color," I answered from behind clenched teeth.

It was actually one of my mom's lipsticks, so technically that was new to me. And I had to go a darker shade since my lips were still slightly swollen. But that didn't mean she could attack me for anything that looked suspicious.

Hotaru smirked knowing she had hit a clue, "Don't slip Mikan, you know better than that. Because if you do, you know I'll catch you." She put on her earphones and attached them to her phone closing the conversation between us.

I stuck my tongue out at her. Yeah- yeah, I brushed off her threat. There was no way she could find out what happened unless I told her about it. So until then I was safe as long as I acted like my usual self.

Anna and I continued talking while Nonoko returned a few minutes later. The class began to fill and even Ruka showed up on time. Even Sumire showed up with her friends excitingly talking about the dance.

I somehow wanted to blame her for making me miss the dance. But as much as I wanted that feeling, I pushed it back remembering what I had told Hyuuga that night.

I wasn't going to regret it, and I certainly wasn't in any position to blame anyone.

By the time the bell rang, everyone except the teacher and Hyuuga were here. The thought of seeing Hyuuga scared me. I wasn't ready to see him yet, and I somewhat hoped he wouldn't show up today, but… as the thought crossed my mind, Hyuuga walked in.

I instantly felt my heart leap and my gut churn so I turned away. Just as I tried to relax, I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind.

I halfway turned around to look at Ruka, "Hi, g' morning." I smiled nervously remembering what Anna had told me.

He returned the smile, "Hey, how was your weekend?" He asked making small chitchat.

"It wasn't so great, but that's what I get for missing the dance." I playfully giggled.

I was forcing myself even more to act normal now that Hyuuga was here. It felt like he was watching me.

Ruka reached over and pinched the side of my cheek surprising me, "Don't sweat it. There are plenty of dances ahead." He thought I was troubled for skipping the dance.

I nodded cheerfully, "Yup. Sorry I missed Homecoming." I answered the very moment the teacher walked in.

"Good morning everyone." He glanced around the room waiting for us to quiet down, "I know you're all excited about how your homecoming weekend turned out, but that's all going to have to wait till after class." He dropped off his suitcase at his desk and pulled out the class roster.

He began calling out names, while the class continued to whisper around.

Halfway down the list, the teacher stopped and held out a slip, "Hyuuga, I got a slip for you from the nurse's office." The class went dead silent.

I slowly stole a glance at him and saw him swing the right strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

He didn't even bother looking in anyone's direction. He quietly walked up to the teacher and grabbed the slip before walking out.

As soon as the door closed, the teacher didn't waste any time to voice his thoughts, "I swear that kid feels like a ghost. Hard to believe it was THAT same kid out on the field last Friday, am I right?" The teacher commented earning a few laughs from the class.

I forcibly smiled trying to blend in.

To think that even teachers had the nerve to make fun of students.

Class went on as usual and Hyuuga returned halfway through it. He handed the same slip back to the teacher and headed for the back of the class.

I pretended I didn't see him and keep writing notes.

I wasn't ready to see him just yet. I kept telling myself.

What happened with the whole kiss thing has kept me flustered. I didn't know what to think anymore and seeing him definitely wasn't helping.

I wouldn't know what to say to him about it anyways.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

"What do you mean I tested positive on steroids?!" I didn't hold back from shouting at the nurse. The news surprised me to the point that I felt my blood go cold. It had been two days since I had tested. Monday morning I was called in, and Wednesday during gym class I was getting my results.

"Take a seat Mr. Hyuuga." No matter how many times the nurse had instructed me to take a seat; I was too much in shock to stay in one place. Why the hell would I test positive in the first place?! I definitely didn't have the reason or the money to get them in the first place. H—how would I get steroids in the first place?

"Mr. Hyuuga if you can sit down and let me explain, I can assure you there is a logical explanation as to why your results may be a false positive." The nurse continued insisting.

"False positive?" That caught my attention. Could this be the case?

I paced around one last time then finally decided to sit down on an empty chair across the nurse's desk.

I stopped complaining and gritted my teeth.

She took my silence as a sign to continue, "Okay let me explain," The nurse began, "the most probable reason as to why you tested positive on steroids could be due to a hormonal imbalance going on within your body. And that can be happening because your testosterone level might be slightly above normal." She reached into the top drawer in her desk and took something out, "It's somewhat common within young males your age so…" She placed a small glass bottle full of what seemed like pills in front of me, "these should help moderate your hormone imbalance."

I raised a brow, "So I need pills to treat this?"

She nodded, "Yes a pill a day from now on and exactly a week from today we'll test you again and see the changes."

"How long am I going to have to take these?" I grabbed the small bottle and inspected it up close. It had no label and no serial number. All I could see was the red gel-like pills fumble around in the direction I tipped them.

"Try them for a whole month without forgetting a single day and then we'll see. I strongly advise you to not forget." She warned.

That's a little over thirty pills, "There aren't enough pills for a month in this." I placed the bottle back on her desk.

"No worries, I will supply you with another by the time this flask runs out." She assured.

Who'd of thought I would be walking out with a prescription. It was even weirder knowing that it was an actual school nurse prescribing them to me in the first place. Was there seriously no way around this? "What about my results? Can they get me suspended or something?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm going to be holding on to your results until we can have you test again next week. Once we have your new results, I'll be submitting those results instead. How does that sound?"

I stood up and picked up my backpack next to her desk, "Reasonable." It's not like I could have said no and thrown the pills back at her. She was covering for me a second time. She covered for me back when I had fractured ribs, and now again.

I picked up the small bottle and slipped it inside the front pocket of my backpack, "Once a day for the next month, right?" I asked swinging one of the straps over my shoulder.

"Yes, just make sure to come and see me if you feel anything weird." She stood up and walked me to the entrance.

I frowned at her. Why did she keep assuming something weird was happening to me? This was the second time she had asked me the same question.

"Any questions?" She pulled the door open.

I shook my head and walked past her. Yeah, I wanted to ask what she meant by 'weird' but I didn't. I've never had the interest to ask until now. I'll probably end up asking another time if she keeps throwing that question around.

I walked down the hallway and turned into the hallway that would take me to the locker rooms. I was still wondering why I was given medication so randomly. The thought consumed most of my attention span and had no idea what I was about to see next.

In that very hallway I saw Nogi fuckin' carrying Sakura in his arms as if he was some sort of bitch prince charming.

Fuckin' great. Just what I needed.

The past few days, both these assholes have been parading around each other nonstop and now I got another 'magnificent' front row seat to it. Fuck me, right?

I purposely continued walking towards them without acknowledging either of them.

The sight angered me, especially Sakura. I didn't want to know what led to her being in his arms, but it gave me a wrong hurtful feeling inside. The feeling grew each step and it made me even regret getting close to her in the first place. She knew too much and it was no one's fault but mine.

A few steps past them and I looked back to see Sakura staring back at me too. She knew what she had done.

I narrowed my eyes for a second and turned away.

I hope she knew how fucking bad she messed up.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"Mikan are you okay?!" Nonoko knelt down next to me.

I sat blowing on my scrapped up knee, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a scrape." I hissed for a split second.

I had fallen down half ways through a tumble routine. My wrists had slipped on the grass during a back handspring and out of reflex I dropped my right knee chipping some flesh off on a random dirt patch.

"Mikan we have to get it treated or else it can get infected or leave a scar! Maybe even both!" Nonoko worriedly grabbed my arm and forced me to stand up, "I'll help you to the nurse's office."

"Thanks Nonoko," I linked my arm around hers and used her for support.

My head had been out of it up to date. I knew it because I had never messed up something as easy as tumbling a few back handsprings.

As we reached the stadium stairs, Nonoko and I stopped noticing all the stairs we had ahead. We had to progress slowly from here on up since I was going to be moving up one step at a time without bending my injured knee.

A few steps up and Ruka called out from behind us, "Hey I heard what happened from Misaki." He rushed to catch up to us.

"It's just a scratch, really." I commented while glancing down at my knee, which was now dripping blood.

He smiled, "Nonoko, do you mind if I take her from here?"

Nonoko returned the smile and took a step back, "Nope, not at all."

I blinked twice not hiding my surprised expression as Ruka swiftly scooped me up in his arms bridal style.

"Sorry for not warning you Mikan, I just thought it would be less painful if I picked you up by surprise." He glanced up the stairs, "Did it work?"

"Uhmm—yeah, hardly felt a thing." I straightened my wounded leg, "I'm okay."

"Okay then, I'll handle the walking from here Ms. Mikan." Ruka playfully smiled making me less uncomfortable.

I didn't know why I felt uncomfortable to begin with. I've been hanging out with Ruka a lot lately so maybe he thought I wouldn't mind?

It was awkward though- well to me it was. I didn't want to think too much into it, but knowing that he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend- didn't help.

As we made it into the main building and neared the nurse's office, the awkward feeling of being carried by Ruka doubled up as I saw Natsume walking directly toward us.

The urge to leap out of sight was almost unbearable. If it wasn't for the fact that he had already seen us, I might have attempted to hide.

My heart raced every step we grew closer. The feeling was nerve-racking. As if I felt ashamed or something, I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes as we walked past each other. I even noticed I had stopped breathing the moment he past us.

There was so much I needed to clear up with him. Now I felt like I just added more to the issue and to the gap between us.

I couldn't stop myself from looking over Ruka's shoulder and towards Natsume. On cue, Natsume stopped walking and glanced back at me as well.

I gasped secretly to myself as Hyuuga frowned and turned away. His expression basically made my heart plummet to the bottom pit of my stomach like a ton of bricks.

That… hurt, I swallowed the big lump in my throat that had formed.

"Mikan?" Ruka caught me looking back over his shoulder, "Everything okay?"

I didn't say anything but I did manage a simple nod to answer his question.

I bit my lip and silently let Ruka carry me the rest of the way. What was the point of getting out of his arms now? The damage was already done.

We quietly entered the nurse's office and waited as Ms. Serina prepared the right kit to treat my knee. Ruka waited through the whole thing even after I told him I was fine from there on.

In the end, I got my knee disinfected, gauzed, and bandaged before being allowed to leave.

"Ruka, thanks, really." I limped alongside him as we headed back to the field, "Sorry for making you carry me all the way to the nurse's office."

"Nah it was me who picked you up in the first place, remember?"

That was true, "Well thanks anyways." I smiled.

"So what are you going to do now? You can't go back to practice like that." He asked.

"yeah I know, I'll probably end up sitting out the rest of practice."

"Well, why not ask Misaki for an early leave? I'm sure she'll let you leave in your condition."

That wasn't a bad idea, "I don't know about that, but it's worth the try."

And Misaki did just that. She gave me permission to leave the moment she saw me.

I gathered my things in the girl's locker room and changed into my pink laced blouse and jacket. I left wearing my red P.E shorts since switching back into jeans was out of the question. I left carrying my backpack on one shoulder and my gym bag on the other. It took me a while to get to the front of the school and over to my car because of the small steps I was taking.

When I finally got there, I heaved my gym bag onto the trunk of my car and searched in my school bag for car keys.

The faint sounds of footsteps on the pavement grew louder as I took my time chucking each of my bags in the back seat of my car.

It wasn't until I was ready to leave that I checked to see who was passing by.

Hyuuga walked by without even bothering to look in my direction.

It was as if we were back to being strangers.

I knew I was in the wrong for cowering away and hiding behind Ruka this whole time, but it was obvious I wasn't ready to talk to him about the kiss. It scared me each time I thought about it. How could I confront him like that?

Before he got any further, I mustered up the courage and the voice to call out to him, "Would it kill you to say hi?" I bit my lip feeling nervous.

Hyuuga didn't hesitate, "Somewhat." He retorted without looking back.

His answer made me pout and it hurt a little more than I had anticipated, so I didn't push it any further. He left in his direction and I got in my car and left in the opposite direction.

I didn't know why I felt scared and uneasy when it came to him. His eyes, his lips, seeing him up close made my body grow hot. This feeling wasn't normal and neither was he.

… He was special… kinda like this feeling…

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_What the hell…? Is Sakura THAT stupid?_

_Did she seriously think I didn't notice her giving me the cold shoulder? Sakura and her fuckin' boy toy WERE THE WORST!_

_She had seriously played off trying to say hi like whatever. If Sakura thought I was going to act like nothing had happened between us, she couldn't be any more wrong. __I didn't want to be friends with her. Me being friends with her would mean I would be a part of the group of crappy people she considered friends. _

_Another damn toy to her collection._

_Fuck that, no thanks…_

_After what I saw Wednesday, she gave me even more of a reason to stay from her._

_Not only did I have to put up with that, but the next couple of days got even worse. Apparently the pills the nurse prescribed me with had side effects. _

_I swear this lady had given me poison. __I had never in my life vomited as many times as I had now. Every damn day, I vomited up to four or five times and that's regardless if I ate or not. _

_Let's not forget the soreness. Every inch of muscle in my body had grown sore and swollen since I started taking them. And each day that went by, my clothes kept fitting me tighter. _

_I had no idea what the hell these pills were doing to me, so on the day of my second drug test, I had gone in to ask the nurse about the sudden symptoms and signs I was going through._

_Yes, I jumped off my damn pedestal of pride and mentioned all the weird things that were happening. Everything except my eyes. I thought that was what she wanted to hear, but no. She fuckin' rendered my explanation useless and 'hmmed' to everything I said. She brushed me off and focused on getting my results for steroids. Anything about the pills she played dumb. In the end, she had no choice but to tell me that it was normal and to bear with it for the month. _

_Her answer was stupid and utter bullshit. She had told me before if I ever felt anything weird to come and find her! And now all of a sudden she turned her back on me? It was all crap and I found it hard to believe._

_At least I tested negative this time._

_So out of spite, I went against taking the pills the following morning and ended up passing out cold two hours after missing my dose._

_It was Saturday so it happened during work. I woke up in the employee's room SIX hours later..._

_My boss said he had called the paramedics, but they found nothing wrong with me. They told my boss that I was simply a heavy sleeper._

_I laughed it off and called bullshit a second time. _

_Something didn't seem right about these pills. And I didn't have a choice but to continue taking the damn pills, especially now after experiencing the consequences of missing a single dose._

_It was painful and disgusting putting up with the side effects, but I had managed to live through two and a half weeks already._

_These past two- almost three weeks, I had grown two inches around my arms, legs, hips, neck, and height. My body had morphed and gained muscle. _

_My loose shirts became perfect fits, and mostly all my pants had to be replaced. It sucked spending extra for winter clothes, but it's not like I had a choice. It was painful fitting into really tight skinny jeans. Other than that, the soreness had died down and the vomiting became less frequent. _

_I have two more weeks to deal with and at the same time it was finally the last week of school before winter break._

* * *

The last Monday of this semester and I had gotten through the first half of school with mild urges to vomit. I was hardly ever nauseous during school hours, so it was weird, especially now since I thought I was gaining resistance to it. I was fed up with these sick urges to vomit, but it was either that or go unconscious a couple of hours.

Who the fuck would know where the hell I would wake up next?

I managed to distract myself through third period and decided to skip fourth. It was the last class before lunch so it didn't matter.

I walked out into the crowded hallway and headed for my locker.

"Natsume, hey," Some guy approached me; "You're Natsume Hyuuga right?" The guy had round glasses and short blond hair. He looked familiar; I think he was in one of my classes.

"Yeah," I walked around him causing him to follow me.

"Well you see… you're good with math, right?"

I glanced at him. How did he know?

"I asked a few teachers if they could recommend me someone that was really good with calculations and math- numbers basically- and they told me to get a hold of you so I-"

"No." I cut him off. "I don't know what you're talking about."

This guy was definitely looking for favors. No one ever approached me unless that was the case. The perfect example was Sakura and Nogi. Shit, as soon as the whole homecoming crap blew over, so did their faces. What was it with these people?

"Try someone else," I declined anything he had to offer.

The blond shook his head and held up his hands in defeat, "Hear me out, please…. It's a club." I glanced at him annoyed which caused him to bump into someone. "I'm sorry," he awkwardly bowed apologizing and continued following after me, "You'll get paid. See we invent things and get paid if things come out correct."

Wait— how did he know I have money problems? He had bluntly stated that I would get paid as a way to convince me automatically. He knew something at the very least or I was probably reading into it too much? "So it's more of a job then." I clarified.

He nodded instantly, "Yes! We get paid really well for each project we complete."

"How much?"

His eyes basically sparkled once I showed interest, "It all depends, but the least is about two grand each or more for every successful invention."

I stopped at my locker, "That wouldn't sound bad if you guys completed twice a month." I honestly admitted. I made a little under a thousand dollars per month at my current minimum wage job. It was hardly enough to cover bills and food. But I could only get paid as a part-time employee since I was still in school. So if I were to quit my job for this new one, I would basically be making twice as much or even more per month.

"So what do you say?" He interrupted my thoughts, "We need someone in charge of calculations."

"One more thing I need to ask," I glanced at him while working the combination on my locker, "Are you guys going to be meeting during winter break? I don't want to get ahead and quit my part-time for a job that won't start until three weeks from now."

He leaned his back onto the lockers next to mine, "Oh we were talking about that recently. Like at first we had agreed to take the winter break off, but since our December invention hasn't been completed yet, we have no choice but to work throughout Christmas and New Year's." He sounded slump but that worked for me.

"Well, if you guys are working through vacation. Count me in." I placed my books inside along with my backpack. "When do you guys meet?"

A huge grin spread on his face, "We meet every other day after school for at least three hours, but we sometimes stay even longer. Oh and we also meet during fourth period on between days. In occasion of course."

Hmm… "Not bad." I agreed. For the amount of hours I'll be putting in, are basically the same amount as my part time, but with double the pay.

"Is that a yes? You'll join?" He asked.

I closed my locker, "Beats working at my part time. I'll check it out."

"Yes!" He grabbed my hand and shook it, "I'm Yuu Tobita, sorry for the late introduction."

I pulled my hand away, "Its fine and you already know who I am."

"You gotta come meet the club. We're meeting right now!" He insisted.

Damn he did say fourth period on in-between days. I wanted to decline and skip until lunch was over, but the opportunity was too good to pass off, "Fine, I'll go. But only because I was planning on skipping fourth anyways."

He happily continued telling me about this 'club' of theirs as we headed for the electives building.

This was not something I had in mind and I was beginning to feel the gross sting in my throat. It wasn't like I couldn't resist it. I had more resistance to it now than I did before. I just better not see or smell anything sick or that would push me past my limit.

Tobita stopped at a metal door with a small round window, "This is it," he smiled and pulled the door open, "welcome to TechCore club."

I walked in to find a group of people wearing black lab coats huddled up around pieces of metal.

"Everyone?" Tobita called out getting them to glance over at us.

I looked around and saw blueprints scattered about on several lab stations. There was also a long whiteboard on the far right wall filled with random calculations, and several incomplete projects stacked up in piles of boxes at each corner of the room.

I didn't recognize anyone here other than the only chick in the group. And it was her that approached me first.

"Judging by what you just saw, I'm guessing Tobita explained to you what we do here." She took off her gloves.

It was the chick that sat next to Sakura in first period.

"My name is Hotaru Imai, you recognize me from morning class." She talked while leading me to the whiteboard. "Alright, before anything else, I want to see what you can do."

"Yeah, I know what I have to do." I skimmed through the work on the whiteboard.

Numbers had always been a second language to me. Math and science are my ace categories. They've always flown right through me as if they were common sense.

"Find anything that looks incorrect?" She asked as I stepped around her to get a better look at the far left corner of the board.

"More like things," I signaled her to hand me a marker. I started from the very beginning of the calculations and circled suspicious numbers that seemed incorrect. I ran the numbers in my head and began crossing out some of the circled areas I had marked. I labeled those as complete errors, "The calculations aren't THAT bad. Only a few mistakes here and there, but all of these small miscalculations add up in the end and give us more room for error." I had only examined the first half of the equation.

She nodded understandingly, "Alright Hyuuga, we'll leave calculations to you in exchange for a higher success rate." She held out her hand out for me to shake. "We're counting on you."

I eyed her hand and switched the marker to my left hand. "likewise." I shook her hand.

I remained in the club working on some of the mistakes I had noted until it was time for lunch.

"Hyuuga, you going to lunch?" Tobita and two other club members approached me.

"Can't. I have something else I have to take care of." I glanced at my watch while grabbing my backpack.

"Oh okay." He awkwardly smiled trying to mask getting rejected, "Then I guess we'll see you tomorrow after school then."

"Yeah." I walked past them and headed for the door. I wasn't late at picking up Youichi nor was I early. But I had to leave before Sakura could run into me by the school entrance.

Lately she developed a habit of waiting by her car every lunch to watch me walk by. It was strange because she wouldn't even say anything. She would just sit on the trunk of her car and stare.

It was hella weird! I put up with it for like a week until I decided it was better to jump the west gate whenever that was the case.

What the hell has gotten into her all of a sudden?- I didn't know.

I took my time and met Youichi a few blocks away. He had gotten used to his daily routine to the point that he knew the way to his daycare. I simply made sure I met him somewhere along the way to make sure he wasn't hurt or anything.

His daycare was like two blocks or so away from my school, so it didn't take long to return back to school. I checked the front entrance to see if Sakura was still at her car and managed to spot her heading back into the main building.

She was leaving and it was clear for me to take my usual route.

I seriously didn't know what had gotten into her. She sits and stares but not a single word was directed towards me. It made me uncomfortable since that wasn't really something I could complain about. In order for me to turn her away, she had to at least say something.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

_Over the many times I had repeatedly gone to my car during lunch, I never found myself building up enough courage to go up to Hyuuga._

_I knew it was kinda creepy watching him walk by every day, but if anything, it helped motivate me each time to confront him. _

_The only thing that kept making our situation worse was the time gap getting bigger each day. These past three weeks I have done nothing but stare from far away. And each day that went by wasn't helping at all. He wasn't helping either! Hyuuga was doing a really good job avoiding me. _

_I didn't even know why I kept insisting over this kiss anymore. It wasn't like it was anything special to begin with. All that damn kiss ever did was push us apart! Maybe this whole time I've been over analyzing things? Every time I thought about it, I always ended up talking myself out of going up to him because I always ended up being the sucker that ended up losing. _

_Hyuuga probably even forgot about what had happened anyways! I mean, he sure didn't seem the least bit phased about not clearing things up anyways!_

_I was tired of thinking up all these different outcomes of what could happen depending on my choice of words. Whether I said 'this' or 'that', it was better than not saying anything at all. And I had finally realized this._

_Was I too late? -Maybe. But it was still worth the try. _

_I was going try one last thing, and it was the last attempt of finding out what that kiss ever meant. _

_No ifs or buts._

* * *

The last Friday before winter break, I decided to stop by Hyuuga's locker.

I made sure my friends went ahead and pretended I had to get my lunch out of my car like I had the past week or so.

My plan was rather risky and I didn't know whether he was going to receive this on time or not, but it was luck that I decided to play with. I no longer had the time or the patience to support me.

I Relied on luck and his words. Just like he had told me that day, if things are meant to happen, they will no matter what.

I held the letter I had written for him tight in my hands and reassured myself that this was the plan I wanted to go with.

Whether he read it or not, it was up to him. With me slipping this letter into his locker, it meant I did everything I could do and the rest was up to him.

Now it was finally my turn to walk away.

Finally.

* * *

**Shorter than usual right? -I'm really sorry, but if I could blame anything, it's all the POV switching I did. Hope it wasn't too confusing. **

**So what do you guys think? Natsume is finally starting to go through changes. He's oh so special. He just doesn't know it yet. **

**By the way, I don't know if you guys have noticed, but a while back I updated a cover art for this story! Isn't it awesome? I drew it myself, so there's only one of a kind ^ ^**

**ALRIGHT SLIGHT SPOILER and its something you guys have a chance to vote in. So continue reading if you'd like to take part, and if not I hope you'll be surprised with up coming chapters. **

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**OKAY everyone that kept reading, if you guys remember my very first author's note in the first chapter. I stated I wasn't going to be including ALICES in this fanfiction. But now, I think I'm willing to make an exception on Natsume's behalf. What do you think? Should I give Natsume Hyuuga his fire weilding alice along with all the other changes he's going to be going through, or not?**

**Tell me your vote by either REVIEW or PM. **

**Hope I get alot of answers. Because next chapter it's Christmas Eve between Natsume and Mikan. And I'll promise to make the next chapter extra long to fit in New Year's/ Mikan's birthday! **

**THANKYOU for reading! And hope you submit reviews. **


	8. Unexpected Christmas

**_Welcome back to another epic chapter of MDBIC! Most of you probably remember me mentioning about posting a Christmas themed chapter, correct? Well... as you can see I did not make it in time for Christmas. I was at 8K wrds at the time and missed out on my 'supposed to be' deadline. I thought about posting a rushed chapter without my pinpointed ending, but decided against it. I followed through and ended up with a wopping 13K chapter! Was it worth the extra two days? I would say yes! SO I think this is my longest chapter yet, and I remember reading reviews that long chapters are awesome so I let it carry on. _**

**_So keep clueing me in on things you'd like to see and I'll adapt the best I could. And I might have left a few mistakes here and there. Its overwhelming writing so much and going back trying to catch every mistake lol sooo I hope it isn't bad. I'm still improving!_**

**_Hope you're all having great Holidays and continue on supporting MDBIC!_**

**_ENJOY!_**

* * *

_Natsume,_

_Sorry for bugging you so suddenly with a letter. I know you're probably wondering who the heck writes a letter now days, so I might as well tell you it's me, Mikan Sakura. Weird right?- Sorry I couldn't do this in person. This whole time I've been hiding and running away because of what happened. You probably want to throw away this letter now, right? I hope you kept reading and noticed it took a lot of courage from my part to not throw this letter away myself. I just don't want to be the reason why things went horribly wrong. _

_I still believe in your words: that if things are meant to happen, then they will no matter what. You have no idea how powerful those words could be. They even pushed me to write this letter._

_So what I'm about to say might sound pretty bold, but I'm willing to put all my hopes in this and on you. If you want to hear me out completely, please meet me at the uptown community park. I'll be waiting there on the twenty-fourth of December at 8pm. _

_This will be my very last attempt on bothering you. I promise, I won't ever bug you again and forget everything about you, so you don't have to worry about me. _

_It's up to you now._

_Love,_

_Mikan Sakura_

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

The streets were cold and crowded with plenty of people roaming around the city. It was one of the coldest nights and yet here I was running through it on Christmas Eve. I ran and weaved between and around people looking for the park she had mentioned on the letter. It wasn't easy. At first, I had no idea where the park was. How could I, I didn't know this side of the city. It was new to me, so I had to stop and ask several people for directions. Little by little I found my way.

The whole time my mind kept questioning Sakura's intentions. How could Sakura plan something so randomly like this? It was already past ten o'clock and it was two hours later than what she had planned. And the thing about Sakura that worried me was that she could be THE kind of stubborn person to wait for hours on end, even in this weather. She was an idiot for relying on a letter, and I was also an idiot for thinking she might still be there- which brings up the other subject of concern. Why was I running to her and what do I expect from doing all of this?

My mind was so concentrated in thoughts I barely managed to stop at the next street-crossing by colliding against a group of people. They roared and bitched about it, but I pushed passed them and ran onto the street not waiting for the pedestrian sign to change.

I watched and timed each gap that formed between cars before advancing. I ignored all the honking and swearing the drivers were screaming and made it to the other side in no time.

I could see my breath with every exhale as I checked my watch for the tenth time. I didn't slow down. It was almost ten-thirty.

She couldn't still be there. She just couldn't.

* * *

_Earlier that night…_

"Hyuuga, are you sure these are the calculations you want us to use?" Tobita scanned the whiteboard with narrow eyes, "It's just the numbers seem too… big." He wasn't so sure of my results.

Hey, you were the one that asked me to join in the first place. "I know its right." But it was up to him and Imai whether to interpret my calculations to blueprints or not.

"Tobita," Imai walked over carrying an empty scroll of blue paper, "Get his numbers and worry about your job." She spread the roll out on the nearest lab station.

Imai meant business. She was sharp, fast, precise, and in it for the money; equally the same as me. She wouldn't doubt my work. And for that, I made sure my calculations were complete in less than forty-eight hours. I worked at home as much as could and I was always early for lab use. I was first and last to leave the lab. Ever since the past invention was scrapped, I had been no life-ing numbers. I even quit my job at the corner store the moment I realized I couldn't juggle both.

I stepped out while Tobita and Imai figured out my calculations. I went to my locker to retrieve one of my calculation books. Just when I was about to get my book, I noticed the ball of paper stashed in the back corner of my locker. It's been there since Friday and I haven't bothered reading the rest. I remembered how stupid the letter started off. The moment I read it was Sakura who wrote it, I crumpled it up and threw it back in my locker pissed off.

I slammed my locker shut feeling the same anger as before and returned to the room. I walked into the club room just in time to hear Tobita and Imai having a conversation. Usually these two didn't talk about anything else except work so this was new.

"So no plans for Christmas eve either? What about Mikan? How is she doing?" Tobita asked, "I heard she was having a hard time because of that wound she received during practice."

I watched Imai shrug from the corner of my eye as I walked passed them and towards the white board.

"She's fine," she boredly answered. "She was limping for a while, but that idiot had more than enough extra arms to carry her around."

I tried minding my own business and concentrating on my work, but my mind didn't stop from remembering the time Sakura was being carried by Nogi. The site of them pissed me off, I didn't bother looking, so I must have missed seeing her leg injured.

"Yeah, and now she's ran off somewhere to meet some random, tonight of all nights." Imai didn't sound the least bit pleased. She probably had plans with her. "So thanks to her, I'm here for the night instead."

I pressed on trying to ignore them by writing down my next set of calculations.

"She didn't tell you with whom?" Tobita sounded surprised about it.

"No. nothing but a stupid letter she mentioned." Imai's words startled me.

The marker in my hand literally flat-lined and fell out of my grip. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder to see Tobita and Imai looking at me. I was met by their eyes instantly.

"Something wrong Hyuuga?" Imai crossed her arms leaning back on her chair.

I picked up the marker and placed it on the marker rail, "It's nothing." I hastily began removing my coat heading towards the exit.

"Wait-" Tobita called out standing up, "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah." I hung my coat on one of the hooks lined up on the wall, "Something's come up." There's no way that could be a coincidence!

I pushed past the door and ran for the main building towards my locker. The hallways were dim with hardly any lighting. I stopped at my locker while glancing at my watch. Whatever the letter said, I was definitely late. It was almost ten.

It didn't matter. I still continued opening my locker and unfolded the crumbled up letter. I rolled my eyes at the part that she guessed I would throw the letter away and silently cursed at myself when I read she wanted to meet at 8pm.

Damn!

I shoved the letter in my back pocket and pulled my sweater out of the locker.

I stopped half ways through the second sleeve and contemplated whether Sakura was the kind of person to be dumb enough to wait.

…I slammed my locker shut. Shit! She would be stupid enough! Who in their right mind writes a letter now a day?! That was enough proof.

I took off running regretting not reading the letter any sooner.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

I sat on the very edge of the park's slide with my knees hiked up close for warmth. I had been shivering since the moment I stepped out of my car to wait for Hyuuga. Except it had already been over two hours and there was still no sign of him. To think an idiot like me would get a clue by now.

He wasn't coming, and I didn't want to accept it. I knew that if I returned to my car it would mean all my hopes and efforts were for nothing. So I couldn't go back. Not yet. I refused to believe I was getting stood up.

I sat on that slide for over an hour before standing up and walking over to the next slide. This slide was wider so I took shelter underneath it instead blocking the wintry breeze. Again I pulled my knees up close and wrapped my arms around them. This weather definitely felt like torture, but at least it wasn't snowing. We haven't received our first snowfall yet. But even so, we might as well have.

My body was tired of trembling simultaneously and all I could hear were the faint sounds of Christmas carolers, people having a good time, and the sound of cars driving by. I was the only lame idiot to be at an empty playground on this very night.

With so much time going by with no signs of Hyuuga, I began missing my friends.

I'm sorry guys for missing out on Christmas Eve. I had turned down all of their invitations so I could be here. They couldn't even believe me when I said I had 'other' plans. The most skeptical was Ruka. He wanted me to go with him and his family to a winter ski resort for the week, but I turned him down. I told him truly I had already made other plans. Imai wasn't happy either because we always spent Christmas Eve together with our families. Anna and Nonoko also had their own family plans together, so it was me breaking the chain.

My jaw quaked making my teeth jitter cold. I clenched my teeth trying to make it stop but suddenly began hearing something moving from behind. It sounded like someone jumped the far wall behind me. I glanced over both shoulders to see if I can spot anyone, but I sighed in disappointment seeing no one. Not like I could see anything from a distance anyways, the only light on in the park was concentrated on the swing set next to me.

I let out another disappointed sigh watching my breath form a warm cloud and pulled out my phone from my coat pocket to check the time. It was a little past ten-thirty.

I whimpered seeing how time was really flying on purpose.

"Is this the place?" A guy's voice spoke from somewhere behind me.

My hands instantly covered my mouth catching my gasp. The moment I recognized his voice, I froze. I choked up not being able to utter a single word.

I… I could hear his footsteps running past me and getting further. He- had read my letter. He had showed up! My heart raced feeling excited but scared at the same time.

As much as I wanted to call out to him, I couldn't. The very same feeling that kept me from talking to him over the past couple weeks was creeping up on me. God I hated this feeling.

I held my phone tight to my chest and accidentally pressed the volume adjuster on the side to make my phone ring.

Crap! I fumbled my phone startled. Turn it off turn it off! My mind screamed on command. There was no way he could have heard it! My mind kept throwing all these reassuring ideas to keep me calm.

He didn't hear it, he didn't hear it, I kept repeating the same phrase over and over but it didn't help. It was rendered useless the moment I saw him peek over the slide I was hiding under.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He stepped off the slide and stood next to my curled up body. I tried not to look at him since I was scared, "Is this your idea of a plan?" Hyuuga pulled out my letter from his back pocket and waited for me to look at it.

I glanced at it and tried to seem composed by shrugging cooly.

"How could you have been so stupid?!" Hyuuga panted for breath making it obvious that he had ran all the way here.

Well he certainly didn't waste time getting to the insults. What a way to start things off. I remained silent even after he knelt down on both knees.

"Sakura it's freakin' cold out and you've been out here for hours! Tell me why you're out here, so you can leave." He pinched the bridge of his nose since he wasn't wearing his glasses.

My mind had completely blanked from what I had rehearsed several times, "The- the… kiss we-" I quivered as I tried to speak.

"Kiss?" He interrupted, "Really Sakura? You sat here… freezing your ass off… because you're still hung up on that? That shit happened a long time ago!"

Ouch. I pouted biting my lower lip as I felt the corner of my eyes begin to sting. My whole face was beginning to grow red from the heat that was swelling up behind my eyes. The feeling of being overly embarrassed and upset caught up to me. I turned away, "I knew… y—you were going to say that." I really did. I just didn't expect to literally hear it. "It- it was more… than that." Well to me it was.

"Oh, really?" His tone of voice seemed taunting. Almost as if he was getting ready to make fun of me, "So just because of that, you think it's okay to call me out weeks later in the middle of the night?"

The first stream of tears rolled down the front of my cheeks. He had no idea how serious I was taking everything he was saying. I sharply swiped my eyes with the back of my left hand and continued looking away.

"God, you know what?" He surprised me by suddenly grabbing onto my right arm, "The only reason why I showed up in the first place was to tell you to go home. I figured you would be that damn kind of idiot who sticks around even after being stood up." He tugged on my arm trying to make me stand, "Now get up and go home."

"What's it to you?!" I slapped his hand away, "Would—would me staying here and freezing to death because of you give you a guilty conscious? Is… is that the only reason why you bothered to show up in the first place?! I had…" a huge wave of cold shivers struck me making me twitch, "I told you I had something to tell you, yet y—you just want me to leave?" My heart pounded fiercely within my chest.

"And you think meeting out here in a fucking random park in the middle of the night was the best option?!" He countered back just as heated. I gasped when I felt both his hands cup my face forcing me to face him. My hands instantly flew up to his wrists to pull them away but he yanked me with enough force to make me collide onto his chest.

My hands felt around his lower stomach and began to push, "Let go!" I commanded but instead he wrapped his arms around my head.

"Do you realize how cold you are?! You're freezing." He began rubbing my back with his left hand while he continued to shelter my head with his right arm.

My eyes widened in shock as I realized what he was doing. It wasn't that he wanted me to leave; he just… wanted me to get out of this weather.

I slowly began relaxing my arms and curled my fingers to grip his sweater, "You… didn't have to come… if you didn't want to." My breath warmed my face as I talked.

Hyuuga on the other hand didn't say anything, he quietly continued to rub my back.

It felt weird sitting there awkwardly with him basically petting me. I didn't know what to say or do.

A few minutes went by and I began to feel my legs go numb because I wasn't sitting comfortably.

I pulled away slightly to see if Hyuuga would give me enough space to readjust my legs. His arm left my head and allowed me to sit back on my knees.

"Alright," my voice came out raspy so I cleared my throat before continuing, "You win. I'll go home." I finally told him what he wanted to hear.

Hyuuga didn't meet my eyes nor said a word. He stood up instead and began to walk away.

Of course he was going to walk away. His moves were so predictable.

I rolled my eyes making a stray tear roll down my cheek, "But you know…" I talked to his retreating back. He must have heard me though since he stopped walking, "I kinda hoped to see and talk to Natsume…" I paused while attempting to stand up. I briefly dusted off the knee part of my pants and looked up to see Hyuuga looking over his shoulder. He didn't know what I meant.

I breathed into my hands trying to warm them, "And you know what else?" I couldn't believe I was about to say this, but, "I had this really long rehearsed speech I had covered dozens of times just for you, but…" I shrugged not caring anymore, "As you can see, I don't remember a damn thing about it." I smiled sadly knowing how stupid I was sounding, "I seriously hoped on at least seeing the Natsume that… made a pinky promise with me. He's the very same one that gave me ice cream when he thought something was wrong with me. Just like that lollipop on his first day of school." I was seriously rambling, "The Natsume… I… LIKE is the one you try to hide." I swallowed hard realizing what I just said.

Did I just…

Hyuuga walked up to me, "So is that it? Simple crap like that was what won you over?"

Did he seriously not hear me?! I had flat out told him I liked him and he didn't even faze! "Hyuuga, didn't you just hear what I said?!" Somehow I had managed to confess to him and yet he…

"What- you think words are going to move me?" He shrugged with a slight smirk on his lips. "I say shit all the time without meaning it. What makes you think you're any different?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Was this the real Natsume talking? I shook my head in denial. "It's not the same! I meant what I-"

"Yeah, yeah." He interrupted me as he moved up even closer, "How about a kiss then? You like me enough to kiss me then, right?"

"Wh-wha?" I stuttered backing up against the side of the slide. There was no way I heard that correctly. I bit my lip nervously and looked over my shoulder just in time to see him grip the slide right next to my head.

This was real and it was happening. I shut my eyes as tight as I could and tried to swallow the lump in my throat that had suddenly formed. With every beat my heart pounded, it made my body grow warmer. The simple thought of leaning in and kissing him made all the butterflies flutter in my stomach. It felt like a huge uproar was happening, and my knees were not happy for the sudden feeling.

"You can't can you?" He leaned in purposely making his breath brush against my face. The instant smell of peppermint overwhelmed my senses, "You're just like everybody else. You say one thing, but can't do shit to prove it." He drew back and turned his face about to walk away.

Without thinking, my hands flew up to grip the collar part of his sweater. And before I could even question my actions, I hastily stood on my tip toes and pulled myself onto his lips, except… I ended up missing and kissing the corner of his mouth.

Oh God…

I pulled away embarrassed, "Sorry uhmm I…"

He raised a brow and stared at me curiously. The kiss- or the attempt of a kiss- had stunned him somehow.

"If uhh kiss is- is what it takes, I- I could do it." I stammered with my hands hesitating to let go of his sweater.

My blush couldn't get any worse. His eyes were waiting; searching for my eyes, but my sight kept trembling and straying to his lips.

What do I do?

I bit my lower lip uncomfortably as my hands slid down the zipper part of his jacket.

"Don't…" Hyuuga suddenly breathed out startling me.

I pulled my hands away instantly thinking I did something wrong.

Hyuuga on the other hand, swiftly caught my forearms, "I meant biting your lip like that. Don't." I noticed his eyes were focused on my lips.

I awkwardly glanced down trying to look past my nose and cheeks. I really couldn't see what was wrong with biting my lip, but I complied.

I glanced back up at Hyuuga and for a second managed to see a faint hint of red glow underneath his blue contacts. And just when I was about to mention it, I was suddenly blinded by a strong light.

"Young miss are you alright over there?" A far voice called out.

Hyuuga and I glanced down and noticed how our positions might cause a misunderstanding. Hyuuga immediately released my forearms and took a few steps back shielding his eyes with one arm.

"Yes sir, uhmm I'm fine. We were just…" My voice trailed off as I blocked the light with the back of my hand.

As the person got closer, I grew more nervous. Hyuuga's eyes were strangely glowing somehow and he didn't know. How could I warn him?

I glanced to see how far the person was and he was a few steps away. Crap! I began to panic.

I anxiously waited for Hyuuga to make eye contact with me but he still had his arm covering his sight.

I whimpered as I began hearing the man's footsteps approaching. My mind pushed for any ideas –Anything!- and ONE really struck me hard. It intimidated me but I didn't have time to hesitate.

I took a deep breath and rushed towards Hyuuga with the light suddenly aiming at me. Hyuuga noticed me heading directly at him and dropped his arm just in time for me to stumble up on my tip toes and hastily press my lips on his mouth. My hands grabbed both sides of his face so I felt when he tried to pull away.

I slid my lips to the left side of his face and whispered my intentions. Hyuuga understood and closed his eyes before purposely stealing a quick peck on my lips. It was instant, but it was powerful enough to cause another uproar of butterflies jump in my stomach.

"Sorry for interrupting young miss." The guy finally turned off the flashlight and allowed me to see that he was a patrol officer. I was confused but not surprised that a cop had suddenly showed up.

"Uhmm no, it's okay really." I took a step back, but realized that was as far as I was going to get since Hyuuga's hands were firm on my hips.

The officer adjusted the flashlight back on his belt and circled around us, "You know its my duty as an officer to make sure all citizens are safe, correct?"

I pouted and shrugged not sure on what he was trying to prove.

"This your friend?" He motioned to Hyuuga a little rudely.

I shook my head, "N—no sir, he's my…" I bit my lip nervously as I felt my heart speed up for what I was about to say, "He's my boyfriend." I gulped. God, I never thought I would ever be saying those words to anyone!

"Is that so?" He asked while trying to see past Hyuuga's bangs since his eyes were well covered. "That true boyfriend?"

Hyuuga pulled our hips together and boldly lowered his hands past my waist fitting them in my back pockets, "Yeah, what's it look like?" He sounded so calm while I had to resist jumping startled.

"Well boy, don't get too comfortable. Apparently her daddy sent out an order to bring her home. Isn't that right Mikan Sakura L. Anju." The cop smirked obviously proud of knowing my full name.

Dammit! I knew it! I had a hunch it was Narumi behind this. Any cop that has ever come up to me was because of my 'dad'.

I hated when Narumi did this every time I stayed out past curfew. He could easily call- like any normal parent checking on their kid- but nooo… instead he uses my phone signal as a tracking device and sends out any random patrol cop closest to me and gets me home that way.

I argued with him earlier about letting me out for Christmas Eve, but of course Narumi had the last say and ended up telling me to be home before curfew. That jerk! He can really be evil sometimes.

I faced Hyuuga and his eyes were pressed tighter than before. It was evident he was mad because of the way his teeth were clenched.

"I- I'll go home, I promise." I stuttered while my eyes stayed focused on Hyuuga.

The cop didn't budge, "After you little miss. You know the drill." He stepped to the side and motioned for me to lead the way.

I pouted not knowing what to say to Hyuuga. I quietly admitted defeat and began pulling away from him. I began walking away and got past the cop when I felt Hyuuga grab my wrist.

"Wait- I'll walk you to your car." Hyuuga quickly took the lead and made sure the cop couldn't see his eyes.

Thankfully the cop didn't push it and allowed us some space as he let us get a few feet ahead.

"I forgot your dad was a cop." Hyuuga broke the silence.

I shrugged adjusting his grip on my wrist to my hand, "My 'dad' isn't a cop he's worse; a detective. But my mom on the other hand; she's a cop."

"Damn… that must suck for you." Hyuuga chuckled.

"Yeah well, it's not something I like to tell everyone I meet."

"It can't be that bad." Hyuuga tipped his head back and stared at the night sky, "At least you have parents to complain about."

My jaw literally dropped. "Hyuuga, you don't have-" Did he really just say that?

"Forget what I just said. It slipped out." He cut me off. "So don't ask. I hate talking about that."

"Uhmm…" It was a little hard changing the subject now. I can't help feel upset now. I mean- things would make sense. The whole him running back and forth during lunch, being late almost every day, and having a part-time job, it all made sense. Even the time when my mom acted as his guardian when he had fractured ribs! That also pieced things in.

Hyuuga didn't have any parents!

We stopped by the side of my car while the cop continued past us and used his phone. He was probably informing Narumi that he found me already.

I looked at Hyuuga who was leaning up against the side of my car. He didn't know what to say either. It was awkwardly silent between us again.

Freakin' dumb cop, I couldn't help blame him for interrupting at the worst possible moment.

"So, does your dad usually do this?" Hyuuga broke the silence, "Does he have like a spotter on you or some tracking device?"

I rolled my eyes and reached into my coat pocket, "It's my phone. He tracks my signal."

"Let me see it." He held his hand out.

I shrugged and handed it to him.

Hyuuga looked around the back of the phone and pulled the back open, "Open your car real quick." He ordered suddenly taking the battery out.

I looked at him curiously and grabbed my keys out of the other front pocket on my coat. I clicked the alarm off and glanced over at the cop to see him spare a quick glance at us while still talking on the phone.

Hyuuga on the other hand tossed the phone into the front seat and closed the door.

What was he doing?

He walked over to me and surprisingly held his hand out to me again. What- did he want my keys?

I placed my keys in his hand but he quickly switched them to his other hand and pulled my hand, "Not your keys stupid, I meant your hand." He returned my keys in my coat pocket.

"What- why? What are you doing?" I began to grow nervous again.

Hyuuga made it look like he suddenly tugged me into a hug, but in reality he pulled me close to whisper what he had in mind.

"(WE are about to make a run for it.)"

I immediately pulled away and looked at him, "(What? We can't! Narumi will-)"

"(How could he? Your phone is in the car.)"

I bit my lip unsure of the plan.

"(As soon as that shit head cop turns around, we make a run for it,)" Hyuuga drew back and locked eyes with me, "(Will you go with me?)"

I stared deep into his red hinted eyes and realized there was no way I was going to say no. I squeezed his hand and glanced over my shoulder.

I've never done anything like this before. And this was something that would have never crossed my mind. How would Narumi take this? Would I get in the biggest trouble yet? All signs pointed to yes, but… even so… I wanted this.

We both watched and waited for the officer to turn away. The rise of anticipation was making me bounce on my knees. I wanted to go- take off running! This was going to happen! It—

Hyuuga tightened his grip and tugged me to run the moment the cop turned his back.

This was happening!

My smile couldn't get any bigger when we heard the cop shout after us commanding us to stop.

"Don't look back!" Hyuuga glanced over his shoulder making sure I was still holding onto his hand.

I laughed and began running faster. I knew Hyuuga could run a lot faster than this; I had to somehow figure out a way to run faster.

We reached our first wave of people crowding the streets and maneuvered around them.

"Hyuuga, what about my dad?!" I yelled loud enough for him to hear me, "Do you think he'll find us?!"

We made a sharp turn into an alley, "Doubt it! Not without your phone!"

We made it around the back of the building and entered another crowded street.

"Natsume? Wait-" I tugged on his hand making us stop, "I've never done anything like this before. I… I feel like… I just ran away from home." I panted for breath.

Hyuuga chuckled, "No- not from home; just for the night so don't compare. It's a whole different story when you run away from home." He began walking pulling me along, "I'll take you home when you feel like going home."

"Yeah but… that wouldn't stop the whole mess of trouble that's piling up as we speak." I added.

"Then why'd you follow me?" Hyuuga suddenly stopped walking, making people around us bump into us.

"Because I wanted too." I spilled the truth not even taking a second to answer. "What about you? Why all this all of a sudden?" I asked not really choosing my words carefully. I wanted to know why he dragged me along. There could be many reasons to pick and choose out of but I wanted to know HIS reason.

Hyuuga narrowed his eyes and kinda glared at me, "You really don't know do you?"

I raised a brow, "What?"

He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and turned away, "You really are dense Sakura." He released my hand removing the warmth and I instantly felt the cold creeping up the tip of my fingers.

I clenched my hand into a fist and shoved it inside my coat pocket. The heat of his hand was really escaping my hand fast, so I did what I could to preserve the rest of it.

"Well… at least the glowing stopped." Hyuuga spoke catching my attention. He strangely had his hands cupped over his eyes.

He dropped his hands and glared at me again. This time I didn't know why though.

"Uhmmm…" I darted my eyes anywhere to avoid awkward eye contact.

"I knew by the way." He commented.

"Knew what?" I tilted my head curiously.

"About my eyes glowing; I saw it on my forearm when I covered my eyes." He smirked pushing his hair out of his eyes. "But you…" His words trailed off as he chuckled.

My face instantly flushed catching on to what he meant. Oh God…

I basically did all that for no reason! I shut my eyes and covered my face with both hands. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even look at him. "Couldn't you have kept it a secret from me or something?" I whined from behind my hands.

"No, that wouldn't be any fun." Hyuuga grabbed one of my wrists and pulled it away from my face. He slipped his hand into my palm and fought back a chuckle when he saw how red my cheeks were, "But thanks for looking out for me."

I blinked twice a little surprised. Hyuuga actually thanked me for it?

A gentle smile spread on my lips as we began to walk again. The thought about asking him about his eyes crossed my mind but it didn't seem like a good idea. Just like with the topic about his parents. I would probably make him uncomfortable if I asked. I couldn't help think about it though. Why were his eyes glowing? Was it some kind of trick? Well to begin with, the fact that he has red eyes isn't normal. So seeing them glow was… something.

We walked two blocks before stopping at an even more crowded spot.

"Any idea where we're at?" Hyuuga asked glancing around.

"Yeah uhmm…" I copied his actions and looked around for the street name, "We're close to Center Plaza." The moment I mentioned it, an idea jumped in my mind. "We should go!"

Hyuuga glanced at me, "Where?"

"Over there!" I pointed past a few buildings and up at the city's huge Christmas tree. It was still a couple blocks away.

"You want to go there?" Hyuuga asked.

"Mmhmm," I nodded, "They have like this really neat festival around the tree too. There are booths, food, and games people could play!" I excitedly began to tug him along as I told him all the other things the festival had.

The rest of the way we basically walked it with the same crowd of people. It was a few minutes before midnight so everyone entering the festival grounds was receiving a red candle.

"What do we do with this?" Hyuuga held the candle out to me.

"Oh it's a Christmas tradition every year. Like, we get these candles when we enter the plaza and when it's close to midnight we light them over by the tree. We all then huddle up and sing Christmas carols until the very last minute and finally, we countdown the very last twenty-five seconds to Christmas."

"Then what?"

I looked at him curiously, "What do you mean, 'then what?' –it's Christmas!" I cheerfully extended my hands out, "And well the trick to the candles is… that once it's Christmas, its good luck to blow out your own candle. It's even greater luck when a family member blows out your candle, but…" I paused and kinda averted my eyes realizing what I was about to say, "If it's somebody else's… and you happen to like this person a lot, it means you want to form an unbreakable bond. So the other person has to blow out your candle in order for the link to form. You become inseparable then." I awkwardly laughed, "BUT- that's only a saying! It's not like anyone's proved it or anything!"

"Well…" Hyuuga started heading for the tree, "Stay away from my candle, and I'll do the same. That way we won't have to put up with each other. "

I rolled my eyes and let out a long defeated sigh. Well there goes that. I went ahead and explained to him the whole tradition and yet he still shut me out. He obviously didn't believe anything I just told him.

I ran after him and waited for the flame to be passed around from candle to candle. The carols were already on full blast and people were gathering by larger amounts.

"So… how do you celebrate Christmas?" I asked trying to get his attention.

Hyuuga passed the flame from his candle to mine and admitted, "If it wasn't for Youichi, I would have seen it as just any other day. It's all the same to me."

I quietly passed the flame to the person next to me and kept the chain going. "I see…" I pouted.

It seemed as if Hyuuga only did things according to his little brother. Hyuuga didn't do anything for himself; only for his brother.

The caroling stopped suddenly and the countdown began. People all around us excitedly chanted out the countdown in sync. I quietly mumbled the numbers while Hyuuga didn't say a single word. His attention was on the huge Christmas tree a couple feet in front of us.

"_Five… four…" _Everyone looked around anticipated. Even I was beginning to feel a strange warmth in my chest growing.

"_Three… two…" _I glanced at Hyuuga and then down at his candle, _"One…" _ The small flame danced around with the cold breeze.

"_Merry Christmas!"_ Everyone chorused together at the same time. Hats and beanies were tossed up. Confetti poppers and streamers shot out from the tree. And the singing instantly began all over again. People hugged and initiated blowing out their candles.

The thought of blowing out Hyuuga's flame was almost unbearable, but I resisted and turned away, "Merry Christmas… Natsume." I didn't direct my words to him, but more like to my own flame. I gently smiled at my flame and inhaled a deep breath to suddenly see the fire disappear into thin air.

I… didn't blow it out…

I instantly looked at Hyuuga to see him lean away from my candle. My eyes widened with the sudden realization, "Y—you!" I couldn't even speak from the shock.

"Yeah… I know what I did. See, the thing is… if you want to do something, do it, don't just stand there thinking about it." Hyuuga avoided eye contact and stared at his own flame. "You can avoid a whole mess of regrets by doing that."

His words… were true.

But did that mean he saw me hesitating about wanting to turn off his candle? Is that why he did it for me?- WAIT! Did that mean…

My heart leaped like crazy, "Do—do you like LIKE me?" I stammered uncontrollably. The swelled up feeling in the pit of my stomach was basically killing me with anticipation.

I bit my lip nervously waiting for Hyuuga to answer, but instead I saw him smirk and take a sudden sharp intake of breath. He was going to blow out his own candle.

Out of impulse I grabbed his forearm and leaned in close to blow out his candle beating him to it. I didn't realize what I had done until I heard Hyuuga let out a whole hearted laugh. I couldn't help stare at him amazed for hearing him laugh for the very first time.

I wasn't the only one either, Hyuuga surprised himself as well.

"After that miss earlier, I kinda figured you'd jump the gun on this one too." He laughed at me again.

The embarrassing moment of missing that kiss earlier refreshed itself bringing back that humiliating feeling I felt back then. God, why was Natsume so good at making me feel this way?

How did the table end up being turned over to me in the first place? I released his forearm and quietly pouted to myself. He didn't even answer my question.

"Wait!" I suddenly realized what we had just done! "We just formed the link between each other!" I quickly glanced over at Hyuuga but was taken aback when I noticed he wasn't next to me.

Where did he—

"Mikan~ hey," Someone from behind hugged me startling me, "Merry Christmas!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Nonoko smiling, "Nonoko? Hi~ Merry Christmas!" I turned around to return the hug. "Wha- what are you doing here? I thought you'd be out of town with your family?" I looked at her surprised and out of breath.

"We had a change of plans." She shivered rubbing her hands together, "My family came to town instead so we decided to show them the Christmas festival. But what about you? Are you here with your family too?"

"Uhmm…" My smiled quivered. I had to think of something fast, "I'm… yeah- here with my mom and dad."

She glanced around obviously looking for either one of my parents.

"They uhmm went to get hot chocolate!" I pointed to the opposite end of the festival, "It's kinda been a while so, I think I'm gonna go look for them."

"Cool, I'll help you find-" She was about to insist but I cut her off.

"No uhmm you can't! I mean- I'm sure your family is looking for you too, so… I'll help you look for your family instead!" I offered.

"I'm fine too, don't worry." She also rejected my help. "I just snuck away for a bit to say hi. They're close by so I'll go on my own."

I mentally sighed in relief, "Okay then, "I smiled, "Tell everyone I said Merry Christmas."

"I will and you tell your parents I said Merry Christmas too 'kay?" Nonoko gave me another quick hug and disappeared within the crowd.

I stood there on my own now. No mom or dad. Not even Hyuuga was anywhere in sight.

I squeezed the candle in my hand and put it in my pocket before pushing through the crowd. All my eyes wanted to find was that tall messy black hair. The black jeans and red sweater. Those piercing red eyes and warm touch.

Where was he…?

The more my mind asked that question, the more anxious I grew. I went from walking to running out of the crowd of people.

I stumbled past the end of the crowd to suddenly feel someone catch my wrist.

"Wait."

I spun around and saw Hyuuga stepping out of the crowd as well.

"What's wrong with you, why'd you run?" His questions went right through me.

The relief of seeing him overwhelmed me completely. My body became overpowered with emotion, it moved on its own. My hands slipped inside Hyuuga's half zipped up sweater and snaked around his back hugging him as tight as I could. Hyuuga's body tensed from the sudden contact, but didn't push me back. He let me hug him.

"You thought I left, right?" Hyuuga guessed.

I didn't have to say anything for him to know he was spot on.

Hyuuga breathed out a sigh moving the top of my hair, "Listen, I told you I was going to take you home when you wanted. It wouldn't make sense if I would have just left you here." He placed his hands on my shoulders.

I couldn't help smile on to his chest for stating the obvious, "Natsume…"

… "What?"

"Thank you."

* * *

"Natsume…? Are you sure about this?" We were waiting to board the subway. I had NEVER in my life resorted to taking the subway. No buses, taxis, and definitely NO subways. Like, if I ever had anywhere to go, I'd drive myself or have my mom or Narumi take me.

But… not this? I didn't have the slightest clue on how the subway worked.

"It's the fastest way to get to your side of the town and besides it'd be kinda stupid if we tried walking there." Hyuuga explained while inspecting the subway routes.

"Yeah but couldn't we have taken a taxi or something? It'd be safer than-"

"No way." He glared at me cutting me off, "You've obviously never tried taking a taxi this late out have you?" He didn't mean it as a question but more like as a statement. "Trust me; most of them are looking for little girls like you to prey on. They don't want money back in return." Hyuuga talked leaning in to match my eye level, "You still want to take a taxi?"

I instantly shook my head. How was I supposed to know? I don't do public transportation! "Well how do you know where we're going on this?" I awkwardly pointed at the chart trying to get his attention away from my face. Thankfully it worked.

He pulled back and focused back on the routing map.

"Simple. When you told me where you lived, I remembered taking that same train on my way to my second-part time job." He clarified.

Me on the other hand, I was surprised to hear he had another job, "You work two jobs?!" I couldn't help gawk.

"No?" He raised a brow, "Well I used too but not anymore. It used to be a weekend job, but my store job switched me to weekend shifts, so I had to drop one or the other."

I continued to stare at him amazed. How could he handle two jobs and school at the same time? "Were you stuck at work earlier? Was that probably the reason why you were late tonight?" I couldn't help voice my thoughts.

He didn't answer so I shrugged avoiding eye contact and continued, "I guess assuming you'd have Christmas Eve off WAS a bust after all."

Hyuuga surprisingly chuckled for something I said.

"Was that the reason why you chose Christmas Eve out of all days? You thought that would have been a for sure bet I'd have it off?" He smirked leaning his back up against the pillar behind him. "You really tried planning it all out."

I couldn't help turn away slightly, "You have no idea." I felt my cheeks warm up for admitting it to him.

"Which by the way reminds me," Hyuuga changed the subject, "What the hell was all the stalking you were doing? You were seriously stalking me the last couple of weeks before winter break. Shit, I'd be surprised if your friends didn't know what you were doing."

I whimpered frustratedly to myself. Dammit he did notice me watching him.

Well… no use trying to fake innocent. He saw me several times doing it; can't really blame it on coincidence.

I sucked in a long breath and bit my lip before confessing. "Alright uhmm the thing was… I couldn't talk to you. I mean- I wanted too- but I couldn't." Me standing here talking to him seemed hard to believe still. "Every day I hoped for the chance and go up to you, but obviously that chance never came," I shrugged, "so I had to think of another way." I stopped talking feeling my blush grew warmer.

Hyuuga crossed his arms contemplating on what to say. "So… quick question. Was that before you figured out you liked me or did you know then?" His question made me hold my breath. Did he have to ask now?

I tipped my head down covering my eyes with my bangs, "I have… no idea." I admitted. And it was true, like even I surprised myself when I blurted it out loud to him earlier.

I didn't get to see Hyuuga smirk and turn away. "Subway's near. We should get going." He turned to leave.

Wait- I reached out trying to stop him but pulled back halfway.

…He didn't let me explain.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_I had to admit, traveling around the city with Sakura wasn't so bad. It was something unexpected to say the least. I guess I could say this was the first time I felt like I had… fun. It was amusing seeing her take everything I did seriously. Whether I was being blunt or passive with my actions she always had an alerting reaction. I'll admit, even I was surprised by some of her actions._

_I didn't expect her to follow me to begin with. Hell, I surprised myself for wanting her to go with me. This brings back the actual trouble I might have caused for her at home. I knew she was in trouble the moment the cop came to fetch her. That's why I made myself responsible for getting her home safe. _

_In my own way._

You gotta be kidding me…"Is THIS really your street?" I didn't know whether to be surprised or confused. Exactly where we stood was the entrance to a so-called '_Christmas Tree Lane'_. It didn't look ordinary. It had some sort of attraction vibe to it. Every single house was decorated excessively with insane amounts of Christmas lights. Whether they were on the house, wrapped around trees, or even on the lawn, these people really didn't hold back. The lights pulsed and changed colors for at least the next couple blocks.

"Yup, it's kinda like a tradition here. All the neighbors get to choose their own theme and contribute to getting new neighbors started. And it's all voluntary. They do it for the spirit of Christmas." She pulled me along excitedly as we walked under the first Christmas arch. "It's easier if I show you."

Why wasn't I surprised to see her house being a part of it?

I let her drag me along even though I just wanted to get her home. This whole 'jolly' bull crap wasn't the least bit appealing to me so I pretended to listen.

It was close to one-thirty and this chick was in full 'tour guide mode'. God, she really wanted to make the most out of this. We literally stopped at every house while Sakura explained each one. Why the hell was she taking so long? I was beginning to think she was overly obsessed with Christmas or possibly stalling. "Sakura?"

She was in the middle of explaining an Aladdin themed house.

"Which one is your house?" I was fed up with all her rambling. We had only traveled down a block and she managed to waste enough time to almost make it two in the morning.

I could seriously admit I zoned out mostly everything.

Sakura on the other hand, looked like she didn't want to answer.

"Are we close? It's almost two." I stated.

This time she nodded, "Yeah… we are. Uhmm do you see the house with the big Jack and Sally from Nightmare before Christmas?" She pointed about four houses down. "That's my house."

Typical. I didn't have to be close up to see her house being one of the most decorated.

I didn't waste time, "Let's go." I tugged her making her skip the last remaining houses. She obviously didn't want to get home. More or so, I blame it on the fact that she was afraid of her parents.

Sakura didn't complain until we were walking up her driveway. "Hey my car is here?" She questioned. With the amount of time we were gone, it was evidently enough time to have her dad tow her car home.

She began tugging my arm trying to make me stop, but I was too focused checking my watch I didn't notice her dad sitting on the front patio steps.

He was sparking his lighter starting up a cigarette. He also looked like he had been there a while since he had a half full ash tray next to him.

The closer I got the more Sakura's dad looked familiar. He had shaggy shoulder-length blond hair, his jaw structure and posture seemed to match. And he wore a long black trench coat, and slacks. I had met this guy somewhere before.

I continued walking towards him even though Sakura resisted. She was trying to convince me to turn and run away. It was the easiest but the dumbest way to settle things. Obviously I wasn't going to go with that option.

I pulled Sakura along and stopped her in front of her parent.

Sakura didn't say anything and neither did I. Her father eyed us both while finishing up his smoke. Was he thinking of what to say or was he that mad he couldn't talk?

He finally dropped the cig in the tray and acknowledged us. "You can let go of her hand now." He spoke breaking the silence. Sakura and I exchanged glances and pulled our hands away. "I have to admit kid, this is the first time my daughter's made a run for it." He clarified.

He didn't have to jab a finger at me to let me know he was accusing me.

I remained silent since I couldn't rely argue with what he just stated. It was my fault that Sakura tagged along in the first place so I kept my mouth shut.

"You look familiar kid, what's your name?" He asked tilting his head trying to get a better look at me.

I glanced at Sakura since she was shaking her head telling me no for some reason. She obviously knew something I didn't.

"Name." Her father insisted again since I haven't answered.

I turned my attention to him without trying to glare at him. The whole 'kid' thing was getting to me fast. "Natsume Hyuuga." I ran my hand through my hair.

For a split second, his eyes widened. I guess I wasn't the only one having doubts about having met before.

He cleared his throat and composed himself, "So you kept the earrings on after all."

His statement confused me, "What?"

"Those earrings- they looked painful back when I interrogated you at your job a while back." He clarified.

Oh crap… he's that guy.

I felt my jaw clench. No wonder this guy seemed familiar, he was THAT damn nosy detective.

I smirked realizing he didn't recognize me by name but by my ear piercings.

"So…" He continued as he stood up and placed his hands in his coat pockets, "Who would have thought you'd be the one to be dating my daughter. I almost didn't recognize you, you were smaller then."

My eyes narrowed. He was the first person to notice my sudden change. And by him mentioning it, Sakura awkwardly started inspecting me on the spot.

"So where were you?" He asked turning his attention to Sakura.

Sakura hesitated before answering, which only made us more suspicious, "We visited the Christmas festival." She mumbled hardly loud enough to make out what she said.

Why was she fidgeting so much? She looked like a scolded puppy that hasn't even gotten yell at yet.

"Oh you went to that?" Her dad questioned sounding sarcastic, "And in order to be a part of that you had to be there till midnight and skip your curfew." He added with full blown sarcasm.

This guy was… something. He wasn't even yelling at her and yet Sakura was looking like she had her tail between her legs.

I was obviously missing something here. I didn't understand their way of scolding. What Sakura's dad was doing looked like a game to me. Well if I compared it to the admonishing's I went through when I was a kid, this was laughable. And yet… Sakura looked scared?

I didn't realize I had zoned out on their rebuke until her dad turned his attention to me.

"What are you laughing at?" He noticed my smirk, "You're the one that made her run away."

Oh so now it was my turn? "I didn't make her do anything. I asked and she followed. It was as simple as that. " My answer was quick and short but it was enough to get his blood going. Shit, it wasn't my fault he couldn't blame his daughter's free will on me.

"Mikan," He glared back and shouted at his daughter, "Get inside!"

That was sudden…What the hell? I raised a brow over his abrupt change of attitude.

"Wait- dad, I don't-" She immediately protested but he pushed her back forcing her up the steps.

"Go! I'm going to 'talk' to him!" His tone made her flinch.

She stared at me wanting for me to say something, but I didn't. I wasn't going to tell her to stay if that was what she wanted. I did the opposite and motioned to her to get inside. The sooner, the better. I was curious to see what her dad had in mind.

"GO!" Her father yelled again making her dash for the door. She ran inside and closed the door instantly leaving us alone.

I sighed shifting my hands from my pockets to crossing them in front of my chest. "Well then, what is it you want to 'talk' about?" I asked cutting to the chase.

I wasn't surprised when I saw him step forward and clutch my collar. He was expecting me to flinch or something since his glare faltered.

"You expect me to punch you huh?" He asked a little less heated.

This was the first time in a long time I dared to look someone in the eyes without the fear of feeling exposed. THAT was actually the last thing to worry me right now.

I held my stare and answered, "It would make better sense if you did."

He looked at me confused but still held his grip. He wasn't trying to make me lose my balance or intimidate me the way I was expecting.

"I can see you're not the usual type." He was analyzing me or at least trying to. "You're not afraid of me are you?"

"Not really." I smirked.

"Then… what are you afraid of? A normal guy in your position would be trying to kiss ass or fight back."

I shrugged grabbing onto his forearms, "Let's just say, violence wouldn't really work on me." Unless it consisted a series of chained punches to the face and stomach, being beat or whipped by some form of metal; or heck- the cig scar I received on my left hip for running away from a foster home. That one I did squirm and scream. Those were the beatings I remembered the most. But obviously I wasn't going to tell him any of that.

Mr. Sakura relaxed realizing he was the only one tense. He dropped his hands and pulled out his lighter and pack of cigarettes.

I almost took a step back from the phobia I had for close up lit cigarettes. Specially after just remembering the highlight of my seventh year experience.

"You just hesitated." He mumbled with the cig butt in his mouth.

I narrowed my eyes and couldn't help ask, "Why do you say that?" Did he really just notice me look away for that brief moment?

"You might not show much emotion but you have strong eyes. I saw when they couldn't look at my cigarette." He concluded breathing out his first smoke.

I had underestimated him. This whole time I was looking at him as Sakura's father and not at his profession.

Without saying anything I lifted up the left corner of my sweater and shirt and showed him my scar. It was on the anterior iliac spine of my hip.

He leaned in to get a better look at it, but the fact that he did so with the cigarette in the corner of his mouth made me nervous.

"Oh shit… is that from-"

"Yeah, now you know why." I ran my thumb over the damaged scar tissue that looked like a mutated circle. "Long story short." An image was worth more than a thousand words so I didn't have to explain how I got it.

"Now I'm picturing the worst." He chuckled dropping the cigarette on the ground and stepping on it, "You wouldn't happen to be an emancipated minor fleeing from abusive parents would you?"

He surprised me. He really did. "You were close." I admitted. I had dropped my guard enough to show him my scar, but I didn't know whether I could trust him with telling him the outline of my past. "Let's just say, I didn't have the parents to scold me properly."

He took a few seconds to decode my choice of words. "Could foster parents do that?" He raised a brow, "Are they really handing off kids to such corrupted people?"

I crossed my arms, "I hope not. I'm just speaking from my experience."

"Well that's pretty fucked up." He answered dropping all formalities.

"Yeah well I'm not looking for pity either, so don't tell her anything." I walked around him and sat down on the middle step of the stairs.

"She doesn't know?" He asked sounding a bit surprised.

I shrugged, "She doesn't know shit about me." I confessed, "I really don't see why she insists on being around me."

Mr. Sakura let out a sigh and sat down next to me, "You know… I really should be hating you for dating my daughter, but… for some reason I don't."

"Why do you say that?" I looked at him confused.

"Well…" He suddenly began taking off his coat, "When I made the estimated guess that you were an emancipated minor running away from abusive parents, well that…" he stalled a few seconds while rolling up his right sleeve, "was actually my case." He placed his forearm on my knee.

I tilted my head and leaned in to get a better look at it. The disgusting feeling that hit my stomach that very moment, I realized what I saw was indescribable. On the inside of his forearm toward his elbow was a huge 'C' shaped wedge of muscle missing covered with stretched out scar tissue.

"Wha—what the hell?" I barely managed to mutter out loud. The wound was so deep it turned my stomach. The feeling made me remember my trauma.

That fucking bastard holding me down shoving his cigarette on my skin. Hearing my skin hiss with pain and my screams echoing loud enough to blare my own ears out.

I couldn't help flinch covering my ears from the swelled up flashback.

"I was twelve when that son of a bitch tried to drive a dull cleaver through my arm." He clarified bringing me out of my thoughts.

I stared at him. Why was he telling me all of this? Were people so open about their own problems? I only showed him my scar to save up a story, so what was his reason? What was his point because we were far past our actual topic of concern? So I couldn't help ask, "Why? Why are you telling me all of this?"

He surprised me with a smile. "I told you," He pulled his arm away and rolled his sleeve down, "I should be kicking you off of my property, but I don't hate you enough to do it."

I looked at him confused which caused him to laugh.

"Okay, okay I guess I see why Mikan tries to stick to you." He added while laughing.

Me on the other hand, I was even more confused.

He patted my shoulder, "It's so shocking seeing how you remind me so much of myself."

I pulled my shoulder back, "You don't know me." I tried to force my barrier back up but he laughs it off again.

"Yeah… yeah," he boredly waved me off, "The whole 'low profile' type of thing. You think not involving other people in your life will make things easier for you. And the whole 'I mind my own business so stay out of mine,' attitude." He was basically mocking me.

"You bastard." I chuckled not believing how accurate he was.

"I knew it!" He laughed harder, "I fucking do know you!"

He was wrong. He didn't know anything about me. All I can admit to is the fact that we had a similar experience growing up, but that was basically it. He didn't know the trouble my red eyes had caused me. He also didn't know I was basically raising a kid on my own. He didn't know any of that, so what gave him the right to say he knew me?

"So what?" I cut off his laughing, "That doesn't make things lighter between any of us. If anything, you have a slight clue on how fucked up my life has been." With that in mind, why would he want a fucked up person like me around his daughter? "I'm out of here." I stood up suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Mr. Sakura didn't budge, "Go ahead. I know you reached the point where you feel like you said too much." He understood and breather out a long sigh, "I'll give you five minutes."

I looked at him confused, "For what?" To get off his property? I smirked at the thought.

He smiled realizing my sudden conclusion, "To say good night to her. She's going to be grounded for a long time as of now, so say your good byes." He stood up and walked up the steps but stopped at the door, "And then after those five minutes you get off my property."

I stood there confused watching him disappear into the house. Did he just approve of me? Was all this talking helping him make a choice? And if so why would he give me his consent? I practically made it clear to him that I was a guy with a shitty life.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned away making my way down the driveway. I figured I might as well since I was leaving soon anyways.

I wasn't even halfway down the driveway when I heard Sakura running and calling out for me to wait. I turned around expecting her to stop the moment I saw her, but she kept running toward me. She didn't slow down either so I took a step back getting ready to catch her. Except my step back was followed by a crunching sound and to no surprise, saw the Christmas lights outlining the driveway turn off. I lost my balance completely as Sakura tackled me into a hug and fell backwards onto Jack and Sally's inflated snow patch.

"What the hell was that for?" I winced looking down at her.

At first she looked surprised that she managed to knock me over, but that expression instantly changed to a smile.

"Look," She pointed past me, "We knocked over Jack Skellington." She giggled making me want to look.

I tipped my head back and saw Jack toppled sideways since we took out both his legs and cut off his air supply. "You killed him." I teased looking around to see what else we 'killed'.

She followed my eyes and looked over her shoulder to see all the lights outlining the walkway towards her house turned off.

She then turned to look at me and playfully glared at me, "hey~ you killed my lights." She pointed her finger up at me since she was still lying on top of me.

I looked away pretending to seem annoyed, "Your dad is going to be pissed if he saw all this happen."

As on cue, Sakura lifted her head and looked over to see if her dad was watching. I took my chance and flicked her forehead, "Made you look." I chuckled bringing my elbows back to help me sit up a little.

A smile almost escaped her but she forced a pout instead. "Ouch…" She resorted to the innocent victim role and sat up on my lap.

Now that she gave me enough space to sit up I intended to, but stopped when I saw her biting her lower lip.

So even after telling her not to bite her lip, it looked like it was a habit of hers.

I waited to see how long it would take her for to realize it, but she seemed lost in thought. I couldn't help it, I glared at her and took initiative.

I sat up catching her attention but I didn't stop there. I reached for the back of her neck and pulled her face to mine purposely surprising her with a kiss. She was shocked at first but she was a good girl and closed her eyes allowing me to continue. I kept mine half open so I saw when she reached for my chest to clutch my sweater.

Just as planned.

With my other hand I pushed at her far shoulder since she was sitting sideways on my lap and bent my right knee to lift her legs. I had enough leverage now to shift her backwards. And so far she had only allowed me to caress her lips, so when she realized she was falling backwards, she gasped giving me the access I wanted. But out of panic, she broke the kiss seriously annoying me in the process.

Dammit.

Her back was now toppling Sally over while the Jack behind me was beginning to rise again.

I pulled away giving up on the kiss, except I was caught off guard when she tugged herself up to meet my lips. Something moved inside of me that instantly took my breath away. What the hell was that about? I controlled the feeling and responded to her kiss.

I stroked her lips with more and more pressure each time slowly easing her mouth open. I placed one last sloppy kiss on her lips before thrusting my tongue into her mouth and satisfying my hunger.

She didn't hold back from moaning out a quick confused hint. I glanced up to see if she was still okay with the kiss and noticed her eyes were pressed tighter than before. Something told me from her expression that she was forcing herself to comply. I kept my tongue moving even though I knew I was causing her some discomfort. So when she laughed into my mouth, her air got trapped in my mouth causing my cheeks to puff up.

"What the-" I broke the kiss and looked at her covering her smile with one of her hands.

Did she seriously just laugh inside my mouth?

"I'm sorry!" She giggled even though her face was flushed, "It tickled so I couldn't…" Her words trailed off as she saw me smile.

"Good to know you find it funny." It sounded mean the way I said it, but in reality I was relieved to find out it was her laughter that was behind her discomfort.

I pulled away and sat up allowing her to sit up as well. After what happened, a moment of silence surrounded us.

I decided to break the silence, "You know what this means right?"

She stared at me a few seconds before answering, "You like me?" She stated the obvious causing me to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, despite that, do you know where we stand?" I clued her in.

She took another few seconds, "We're about to become a…" Her voice trailed off making me finish the sentence for her.

"A couple." I sighed. "But just know that if you do agree to be my girlfriend, a lot of things are going to change." I informed her.

She looked at me confused, "What do you mean?"

I breathed out another long sigh and got ready to explain what I meant, "Let's just say that 'if' you do decide to become my girlfriend, a lot of people that revolve around you are going to be upset about it. You will lose a lot of your guy friends." I knew that moment she thought of Nogi because he even crossed my mind. "Your best friends that got along with Nogi might side with him so… some of your close friends might turn their backs on you. Who knows how long, I'm just warning you. And as for me, the low profile I tried so hard to keep would be completely gone. So it all depends on your answer because…" I paused grabbing onto one of her hands and cupped it between my hands, "Mikan, I'm asking you to be my girlfriend." I knew I managed to ask her sounding composed and natural, but even I felt the heat on my cheeks creeping up.

She wasn't answering fast enough, so I was deciding whether or not to offer her time to answer my request. But she suddenly squeezed my hand stopping my thoughts.

"Y—you said my name." She smiled.

I nodded and looked away trying to hide my own smile.

"Natsume?" Her voice carried out my name too, "I appreciate you trying to warn me about my friends and all, but…" She paused managing to fit in a giggle, "There's a difference between them and you. I felt it the moment you held my hand for the very first time."

I looked at her confused since I didn't know which moment she was referring too.

"Back when you were hurt in the infirmary and about to get rushed to the hospital." She revealed to me something I didn't know, "You held my hand so tight that brief moment, it caused me to only look at you and YOU only." She reached up with her free hand to pinch the corner of her eyes. "You've been haunting me since then you jerk!" She playfully pushed me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off.

"There are no 'what ifs' when things are meant to happen, especially when you want that someone!" She quoted my words and held her trembling stare to my eyes, "There is no 'what if' to this question Natsume." She sat up on her knees and scooted closer to me, "I want to be your… girlfriend." She muttered the last part in tears as she dove into my chest.

I smiled to the top of her head and wrapped my arms around her enjoying the feeling of being accepted by her.

"Thanks…" I whispered up into the cold crisp sky to be welcomed with the very first snowflake to the cheek. I blinked twice noticing all the other snowflakes falling after the one that I felt.

"Mikan," I held my hand out in front of her, "look…"

She turned her head on my chest and faced the direction my hand was. I didn't get to see her sudden reaction but she immediately turned to look at me.

"It's snowing!" She beamed at me with tear stained eyes.

I nodded once before pulling the hoodie part of her coat over her head, "Yeah, now get inside because I'm sure it's been way past five minutes."

* * *

**Chapter 8 COMPLETE!**

**So how was the SUPER long chapter? I tried to involve some key points originated from the manga. **

**I added in a few hints on Natsume's past along with Narumi being able to understand him. SO anyways, now that Mikan and Natsume are couple, how much controversy do you guys think will happen? **

**Hint- hint~ Ruka's in for a surprise and Natsume is still adapting to changes. **

**Please go ahead and review, comment, follow, or even message. I love reading what you guys think. ANY help or advise matters.**

**Thankyou**

**Until next time! **


	9. Not so Sweet Sixteen

**Welcome back to another chapter of MDBIC! I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter and looked forward to this chapter because things pick up in this chapter as well. **

**Wish I could say more, but that wouldn't be fun.**

**On to it! ENJOY XD**

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

"Remind me again why you made me tag along for this?" I boredly asked Narumi as he parked the car across the street to our location. He hasn't said a single word since he picked me up on the way to their house. Nothing but a, 'get in' and a, 'we're going to go pick up Mikan,' conversation.

He looked pretty pissed, so I kept my mouth shut this whole time. I didn't bother asking until now, now that we reached our destination.

I didn't know whose house this was but they were really throwing some insane house party. The cars lined up the streets a couple blocks back and same with the music. We could hear it a couple streets away too… but now?- it was just fuckin' blaring loud.

There were already tons of people hanging out on the front lawn so I couldn't imagine how packed the inside must have been.

"You don't care that your girlfriend is in there?" He asked turning the car off and directing his attention to me.

I shrugged not caring any more than less, "She's free to do what she wants. It's not like a put a leash on her just because we're going out."

He glared at me, "Yeah well she's my daughter and I want you to go in there and find her."

I held back my smirk seeing as how the girlfriend card didn't work. He had to resort to the daughter trick, "Why me though? Why did I have to tag along for this? I thought you only wanted me to show up for her birthday?" Things weren't adding up for me.

Why was Mikan at some house party when I was supposedly told, or rather ordered, to join them for dinner?

Narumi even went as far as to have me investigated just so that he could invite me for the occasion. It was supposed to be some introductory night to introduce myself formally, but as we can all see that was no longer the plan, which sucks because I had to spend money to dress up for the occasion. I didn't go with fully blown formal wear, penguin suit, like Narumi had instructed me too. Yeah I went with dress pants and brushed my hair back like he had asked, but as for the rest I went with my own taste of clothes. I chose to wear a white slim-fit dress shirt with a skinny black tie, and combined it with a black mandarin collar jacket.

Narumi spoke breaking the silence between us, "She didn't know you were coming alright," He finally clued me in on some detail. "You were supposed to show up as some form of a surprise to her so she could at least enjoy her birthday a bit better, since she's grounded and all…" His voice trailed off and remained silent.

I raised a brow, "I'm guessing she made her own plans?" I couldn't help smirk. Sakura had ditched her own birthday for…. This? I glanced past Narumi to the party infested house.

"The hell she did!" He slammed his right hand on the side of the steering wheel, "She might have gotten away with it the first time, but not this time!" Narumi angrily clicked his seatbelt off and unlocked the doors, "You're going in!"

I reached to push the door open taking his order serious, but stopped, "Wait." I released the door latch and dug my hands into my hair, "first thing's first…" I couldn't stand feeling my forehead exposed to the open air. I ruffled my hair so I could at least bring most of my left hair forward. My hair instantly fell over taking its usual shape except the right side. I guess I could leave that side tucked behind my ear. "Okay, now I can go." I readjusted my glasses before pushing the door open and getting welcomed by the intense sound waves the music produced. It doubled up compared to how it was inside the car.

Narumi also stepped out of the car and met me in front of it, "Alright go in there and find her, but don't tell her I'm here. Just bring her out and I'll take it from there." He crossed his arms and leaned up against the side of his car.

"Yeah yeah," I waved him off. "I know what I have to do, but you don't have to wait out here. You can sit inside the car while I go and get her." It's still pretty cold out and there's still piled up snow.

He shook his head, "Trust me if I could go in there and get her without causing a scene, I would. So that's why you're going in. You blend in more so I want you to go instead."

"Yeah, I get that part but why do you want to wait out here?"

He surprisingly smirked at me before answering, "Because… I want to see the look on her face when she realizes that her boyfriend turned her over to me."

That's… evil. "Fine. Your choice." I began walking away to cross the street onto the designated property. I can't promise I'll find her soon in this.

I stepped onto the sidewalk and stared up at the two story residence. It was a pretty big house there was no mistaking that, so how the hell was I going to find her here and in such a small amount of time?

I walked up the driveway and pushed passed the first big group of people on my way to the doorway. The front door was left open so I could already see the horde of people filling the inside.

Shit, I didn't know what I was getting myself into but walking into a house filled with people bumping and practically grinding up against each other was beyond my comfort zone.

In those fifteen seconds of pushing past the people blocking the entrance, I felt a grope on my lower back, a two hand clutch to my chest from behind, and a nasty drag of cigarette smoke to the face.

Fucking gross.

I made it into the dining room next. It wasn't as crowded as the entrance but it still had people lined up against the walls.

The back wall opened up to the kitchen where someone caught my attention by waving at me. He stepped away from the group of people he was hanging out with and weaved his way around the people in my direction.

"Hey dude!" He yelled trying to speak over the music, "I know you man, you're… you're that fast guy from football!" He somewhat remembered me, but I had no clue who he was. The only thing that managed to get my attention was the black star-shaped tattoo on his left cheek right under his eye. Other than that, it was whatever.

I didn't try yelling over the music like he had.

I glanced around to see if Sakura was anywhere in sight before heading past him.

"DUDE!" The same guy grabbed my shoulder while following after me, "Why'd you back out of Football?! You were major good!"

I let out a sigh and shrugged him off. What was it with this guy?

I quickly pushed past two people just in time to block the guy trying to follow me. I made it to the kitchen next.

This was crowded spot number two. Now this was where the rowdy people were. A lot of people were pushing and shoving with drinks in their hands.

As I made my way through this large mass of people, I got stepped on- a lot actually- and felt a couple of girls try to catch my attention by grinding up against me.

But out of all that, still no Sakura.

As I left the kitchen and entered the main hallway, I spotted what seemed like a fluff of pink hair heading towards the living room. And if I remember correctly, that chick is one of Sakura's close friends.

I had no choice but to follow her since she may be the only lead I had to finding Sakura within this house and fast. I was really getting fed up with all the pushing and the touching.

I pushed past more people trying to ignore the sudden movements.

Finally I was able to track the pink haired girl to the living room and entered the loudest room.

And I could see why now. There were several speakers and surround sound devices covering the whole back wall with a dj booth in the middle. The music was so loud to the point I can feel my chest vibrating with every bass beat.

At least I was able to see Sakura's friends huddled up in the middle of a dance pit.

Shit, I didn't think this through. Now what? I can't just go up to them and ask them if Sakura was around. Why the hell wasn't she with them?

Fuckin' hell man, even Imai was here. She was standing by on one of the couches texting away on her phone.

Dammit… now what?

I circled around the living room about to reach the other hallway when I suddenly felt two arms snake around my waist trying to tug me backwards.

I tried to brush her off like most of the girls that had tried this already, but this one had a firm grip.

"What's the rush?!" The persistent chick called out from behind me, but I didn't catch a single word.

I tried glancing over my shoulder to see who it was but she pressed her head against my back. I couldn't really tell what her actual hair color was thanks to the dim lighting and the colorwheel lights spinning around the room.

I had no choice but to forcibly pry her arms off and spin her around myself before pushing her towards one of the open couches. As she stumbled forward, I took advantage to get through another group of people.

And just as I disappeared within that crowd of people I took a moment to glance back to see if the chick landed okay, but what caught my attention was Imai watching me. She saw me.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? As I thought about it I found the staircase leading to the second floor.

Shit… I stared up at the stairs packed with people. There was no way I could go through that. Seriously, how do so many people gather in one place and cope with it?

I had no choice but to turn away. There had to be another way up somewhere… but where? I started thinking back to the kitchen having a back door.

Maybe there was a way up out back? With that in mind, I headed for the kitchen a second time and made it to the backyard.

There were also tons of people out here but it was messy as fuck. It was bad, you could tell this was where the people that were completely wasted retreated too.

It smelled like spilled alcohol, piss, and vomit.

I was glad I didn't see Sakura out here.

I began looking for a second story window that might be open but found something better.

There was a balcony right above the kitchen door. Hell yeah, just what I needed. And it wasn't at an impossible height either.

I could reach this with the right amount of leverage… I think.

I began loosening up the noose on my tie and unfastened the first three or so buttons of my shirt as I figured out my route.

First, I made sure no one was on the balcony by taking a few steps and getting a good sight. Next, I estimated the run and jump distance I would have had to perform in order to reach the ledge of the balcony. Just by looking at it, I'd say it was eight feet or so in height.

I could do this and I really didn't care if people saw me do this, they were too out of it pay close attention.

One last thing before I made my jump. I took a few more steps back while shrugging off my jacket and pushing up the cuffs of my shirt.

I wasn't planning on a second attempt. I was going to get up there on my first try. That much I knew.

I clutched my jacket in my left hand and ran for the side wall right underneath the balcony. I used it as my key leverage as I took two steps on it and sprung off the wall with enough momentum to reach the ledge with my right hand; just as expected.

I brought my jacket up to my shoulder and dropped it there as I reached up with my left hand as well. The balcony had a rail to it so it was easy to get a firm grip.

I reached up as high as I could with my right hand and pushed myself up with my left. I wasn't going to try pulling myself up. That would take longer.

I pushed myself up to the point that I was able to bring the rest of my body up and squat down on the very same ledge I had grabbed onto.

The hard part was over. I easily stood up and jumped over the railing to see the same guy that recognized me earlier in the dining room looking up at me from underneath.

He looked like he was trying to convince the people around him to look up at me.

I couldn't help smirk at how people were too shit faced to realize. I knew it would work to my advantage.

The balcony door was left open so it was obvious people were here at some point. I went inside while sliding my cuffs down and slipping my coat back on.

The room was dark and empty thankfully, so I took that as a sign that maybe the second floor wasn't as crowded as the bottom one.

I couldn't really see but I was able to make my way towards the door that led to the hallway right in front of the stairs.

I stepped out just in time to hear the music get cut off.

Now what? I glanced down the stairs to see Mikan being pulled down the steps and towards the living room.

What's happening?

"_Alright everybody, it's time to wish the birthday girl happy birthday!" _a male's voice called out through the speakers. I couldn't tell who it was but now I knew whose party it was.

Mikan got tricked into going to a surprise birthday party...

I watched from above the stairs as everyone gathered in the living room. I couldn't see inside the living room from this angle and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to let her see me just yet.

I noticed the people on the stairs clearing out as well so I took a few steps down and waited there. I waited and watched from a distance as Mikan stepped onto the dj platform and joined Nogi who was the one talking through the mic.

Why the hell was I surprised? Of course I should have expected him doing all of this for her.

I couldn't help look away pissed off as he hugged her.

The lights dimmed all of a sudden, "_Guys time to bring in the cake." _Nogi called into the mic, "_Let's sing her happy birthday while they're at it."_

Dammit I couldn't see them anymore from where I was at. People opened up an isle down the middle as the cake rolled in with sparkler candles.

I decided to take a few more steps down the staircase and stopped before reaching the base. I still wasn't able to see them but once the cake stopped in front of her I was able to see both their faces.

The crowd obviously tried singing the happy birthday tune in sync while making me feel even more out of place.

I felt like I didn't belong here and the feeling only kept growing stronger. I even started regretting coming here in the first place.

I walked off the stairs as the singing ended and the clapping and cheering began. I glanced over just in time for Sakura to blow out the candles and the lights turn back on.

Mikan looked happy, she was grinning with a smile that spread from ear to ear. She looked beautiful in her pink sparkler dress. Her hair was nicely curled and on the top of head rested a princess tiara. Well she definitely enjoyed this birthday.

I turned away to leave but almost walked into Imai. She had purposely stepped in my way. What the hell did she want?

"I never would have expected to see you here." She crossed her arms looking to see if I were to give her any form of a suspicious reaction. "Of all places." She smirked knowing she had caught me red handed.

I rolled my eyes wide trying to seem annoyed, "I'm just doing what I was told all right." I pointed a thumb towards Sakura, "Tell her her dad is outside waiting for her."

Imai obviously gave me a curious stare, "And how would you know that?"

I didn't think twice for my answer, "That's… none of your business." I stated while walking past her but that didn't stop her from catching my shoulder.

"Hyuuga wait-" She got interrupted by Nogi talking into the mic again.

"_Mikan, today I have gathered all these people. Friends, closer friends, and ehhh even some bad ones," _He smiled at the crowd earning a few laughs before continuing, _"to be a part of your sixteenth birthday. I wanted to make sure you had a blast for your birthday. So tell me… how did we do?"_ He placed the mic close to her.

"_It's a great night everyone, thank you so much. I really enjoyed it_!" She smiled even bigger.

I tried so hard not to scoff from how ridiculous this seemed to me.

"Hyuuga," Imai caught me looking away, "Keep watching."

I gave her an annoyed look. Why the hell should I?

"_One more surprise Mikan," _Nogi revealed taking out something out of his pocket.

No! You're fuckin' kidding me right? Shitty fuckin' christ man… now I get to see this asshole confess to her?!

I crossed my arms waiting to see how Sakura reacted.

"_This is a little present from me,"_ He opened what seemed like a jewelry box, "_I want to mark this day a special one for me too…"_

Surprisingly Sakura's smile dropped. She also began to fidget around, almost as if she was trying to back away. She knew what was coming too… and she didn't want him.

She wanted… me.

She looked around nervously not wanting to hear Nogi's confession and for sure as hell I didn't want to hear it either.

"I'm guessing that's your sign." Imai commented without looking at me.

I rolled my eyes as I walked past her and took a few steps up the staircase. I fuckin' know what I had to do.

Nogi removed the piece of jewelry as he approached Sakura, "_Mikan will you be my-"_

I placed my right thumb and index finger on my lips and whistled as loud as I could. Fuck whatever the consequences came after. I wasn't just anyone anymore.

I had more than the right to stop this and I used the very same whistle I had done back at the homecoming game. Why?- Because I damn well knew nobody but Sakura would make a connection to it. She recognized it.

Her smile returned instantly as her eyes darted around the room trying to find me. She followed the attention of the crowd as everyone turned back to look in my direction.

This was definitely the first time I ever had a whole room filled with people look at me at the same time. Not a good feeling, but at least I stopped Nogi from asking out my girlfriend.

Sakura didn't waste time, her eyes fixated on me almost as if she had locked-on to me. She instantly jumped off the stage and began pushing through the crowd ignoring her friends calling after her.

I was about to step off the stairs when Imai's arm suddenly blocked my way. "Hey, let her come to you," She rolled her eyes to me, "it's the least she can do after you searched the whole house for her." She knew what I was doing here all along. Maybe she knew more than that…

"Natsume?" Mikan called out to me as she broke through the crowd and ran over to me. She ran up the few steps towards me with her arms opening up for a hug. I didn't know if I wanted to just accept the hug coming at me or… going for more than that. Actually- I knew I wanted more.

I wanted to show Nogi and the rest of the people my reason for being here. She was mine now and THIS prancing fucking prince charming needed to get the memo. He obviously didn't know anything yet since he still bothered to follow Sakura trying to break through the crowd.

I didn't end up making a move. I let Sakura choose for me as she wrapped her arms around my waist, latching herself onto me as if I was her only lifeline. It was funny yet weird for me too, the feeling I felt as she pressed up against me reminded me how good it felt to breathe. It was like this whole time I was breathing anything else but air and suddenly realized it.

"Mi-"

"What the hell is this?" Nogi broke through the crowd cutting me off as well.

I glanced over at him as he stopped in the open gap between us and the crowd. The group undoubtedly had the same expression he did and they wanted answers.

Their glares were more than enough proof but I didn't care about them. I focused my attention back on Sakura and leaned down to whisper to her, "(You know what you just caused, right?)" I couldn't help smirk as she nodded onto my chest. At least she was being honest. "(I'm here to take you home…)" I paused sensing the strange comforting feeling I felt as I first held her in my arms, "(Will you go me?)" I pulled away to slip my hands behind her neck and angled her head to look at me and me only.

I didn't want her to see the faces and hateful expressions the people were making. She only needed to look at me and that's all that mattered.

She smiled nodding a second time.

I caved instantly. I let the overwhelmed emotion carry out as I leaned down to kiss her. And just as my lips brushed hers, Nogi caught me off guard.

"I kissed her Hyuuga. I beat you to her!"

I raised a brow opening my eyes to see Mikan staring at me with wide open eyes. I'll take that as a yes. Her expression said it all.

Nogi wasn't lying.

I tipped my head to look past Sakura and at Nogi. Why the hell did he sound all proud and shit? Did he really think he had won?

Surprisingly I felt more amusement than anger. Yeah I felt kinda pissed that he had got a taste my girlfriend, but that was it.

God, this kid couldn't be any more wrong. I smirked at Nogi catching him off guard, "You don't say…" I turned my attention to Mikan, "Is that true?" I stared her down making her feel guilty. I couldn't let her off the hook either.

She pulled away but her eyes never left mine, "…Yes." She answered.

I grabbed her shoulders and leaned down to her eye level, "Want me to punch him?" I pretended to glare at her.

My question made her catch on to my amusement. She knew I wasn't explosive mad.

She covered my hands with hers and shook her head, "(If you think about it, he technically kissed you too?)" Her whisper turned into a giggle at the end.

I held back the chuckle trying to keep my serious face on, and looked over at Nogi, "Hey, quick question." I knew this would probably make me public enemy number one, but oh well. I moved Sakura behind me before continuing, "Where do you think she was the night of the homecoming dance?"

The room went silent. How is that possible?- I don't fucking know... but I swear I saw Imai smile for a split second there. She was first to catch on.

Nogi on the other hand turned away while the crowd grew angrier. It was a matter of minutes before someone threw something, so I purposely fueled the pissed off mob even more.

"Let's just say I beat YOU a LONG time ago." I wittingly threw his words back at him. "Did you seriously think cornering her in front of all these people would have forced her to say yes to you?! You're fuckin low. You're lucky I took all of this as a joke." I grabbed Mikan's hand without warning her and began walking down the stairs pulling her along, "Ready to go?" We needed to get going. I was blowing through my amusement and getting pissed fast.

The last thing I needed right now was my restraint piercings going off and shocking me like a fucking dog.

Imai moved out of the way allowing us to pass. I didn't say or look back as we reached the front door.

The moment we stepped outside Sakura instantly shivered. She didn't have her coat on, so I began to shrug off my jacket to give it to her.

Mikan hugged herself in it trying to warm up, but all of a sudden I heard Imai yell from behind her.

"MIKAN LOOK OUT!" Imai's shout spiked all my senses as I shoved Sakura out of the way to see Nogi tackle me hard.

He tackled me with enough momentum knocking off my glasses and having us both slide across the snow plastered grass. My back instantly stung from all the ice seeping through my shirt while Mikan's voice rang loud yelling for us to stop.

I noticed my vision blurred slightly but my body reacted with full blown reflex. It was as if it reacted on its own.

The moment we stopped sliding, I rolled Nogi over my head using both my feet to haul him over. I heard him grunt from the impact but that didn't slow him down.

He tried to climb on top of me by advancing on my left side but I read into his movements quick enough to throw my left elbow back connecting it hard to his chin. He fell back instantly making a small gap between us.

Less than a two feet gap between us but that was all I needed.

By this time the whole crowd of people had formed a heavy circle around us. I couldn't see Sakura anymore and I couldn't hear her either.

Nogi clutched his chin while getting up on one knee from where he landed. I was still on my back but not for long.

I rolled forward once making the gap slightly bigger before positioning myself into a crouched lunging position.

My vision blurred even more. It was as if someone placed a red plastic film over my eyes. I wanted to sit back and rub my eyes to make it go away, but my body continued moving on its own.

The last thing I remembered seeing as my vision completely became distorted was the outline of my boots as my head dropped.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

"NATSUME PLEASE STOP! DON'T DO THIS!" I screamed trying to break through the crowd. I was struggling trying to break through the circle.

I clawed and pushed as much as I could while feeling the wave of people shift in the direction the fight was moving.

I had advanced enough to hear the punches in between the cheering and clapping, but I still couldn't see anything.

I looked around anxiously trying to find another way to reach him, but suddenly felt a hand grab my wrist, pulling me down to the ground.

It was Imai. She was watching from between the people's legs. She didn't say anything but she edged me forward to continue this way instead.

I nodded not caring how bad the thick ice began burning my hands and knees. I crawled to what seemed like a view of Natsume sitting on top of Nogi and hearing the hits connecting.

"NATSUME! STOP…PLEASE!" I screamed loud enough to see him hesitate.

He stopped moving just in time to see two other guys charge him from opposite angles.

"WATCH OUT!" I screamed out of impulse.

I watched as Natsume flipped backwards off of Ruka and remained low to the ground as he took down the guy approaching him on his right.

He managed to pull both legs from underneath the guy in a low tackle making him fall back hard. This move managed to take care of one guy, but this also left Natsume wide open for the next guy.

I tried crawling closer trying to reach out to him but he was still a few feet away from me.

My hand still at a distance, "NATSUME!" I called out to him as I saw him get on top of the guy he had tackled and blocking a right hook. Hyuuga guided the fist away from his face as the other guy rushed him with a winded up kick.

What I saw that instant as Natsume turned around was the fact that his eyes… were closed…

My eyes widened as his face left my sight and turned to perfectly time the other guy's approach.

Right when the guy went in for the kick, Hyuuga threw a single straight punch with his left hand to connect it directly to the guy's knee. The one he was using to stand on.

I gasped and so did most of the crowd as the guy's leg bent slightly inward before collapsing. This made the crowd back up in shock.

I glanced from the guy curling up trying to hold his leg to Ruka's blood stained face.

The fight had turned serious now. It was a three versus one and Natsume wasn't going down.

I took advantage that the circle wasn't as tight anymore and crawled further in to see the guy that only got tackled land a punch on Natsume's face before shoving him off.

The guy scurried trying to stand up before Hyuuga, but Natsume swept his left leg in some form of a windmill rotation while balancing on his hands. Within a single spin, he managed to take out both of the guy's ankles.

I couldn't help gasp on how incredible that move appeared.

Where did he learn to move like that?

I felt the crowd shift back even more as Natsume decided to stand up for the first time. Nobody dared to say a word as he seemed to stand up straight and tip his head back. His eyes still closed.

He held his right hand up. Blood stained knuckles and everything. He turned his hand over just in time to see something land in it.

What was it?

I couldn't see what it was from this angle but the crowd immediately dispersed. People began to panic as the object in Natsume's hand began to release smoke.

I flinched instantly as I heard someone scream out Tear Gas.

Everyone began to run while another three cans came falling down from the night sky.

"NATSUME!" I cried out one last time as I tried avoiding getting stepped on. I couldn't stand or move in the slightest way. My knees were blood shot red as they throbbed in pain along with my hands. "Please…" I whimpered watching as several cop cars pulled up to block the front of the house.

In between those sirens and spinning red, blue lights, I saw Narumi.

He was standing there, calling out orders and pulling the safety pin off another can. He was the one that threw the gas tanks before the cops showed.

Why was he- my mind couldn't think any further as I caught something moving fast towards me from the corner or my eye.

I looked just in time to feel Natsume scoop me up in his arms at a mind-blowing speed. He picked me up so easily it felt like I was paper thin to him.

I told myself to hold on but I couldn't. I couldn't fold my fingers from how swelled up they were getting, so I helplessly wrapped my forearms around his neck trying to secure my grip that way.

I felt utterly useless.

There wasn't anything I could do. I couldn't help Natsume at all. I had to rely on Natsume to get us out of here, even after getting him into all of this mess.

I was sulking more and more by the second.

It wasn't until I lifted my head off of Natsume's shoulder that I noticed the number of people being wrestled onto the ground by police officers.

More and more cops were showing up, and they were chasing down whoever was in range. The party had turned into a real frenzy and the whole front of the house was surrounded.

We had no choice but to make a break for the backyard of the house. We arrived later than everyone else, so it was surprising seeing how many people were trying to climb the back wall.

Natsume didn't.

He decided to go with the far wall on the right that separated the neighbor's yard.

The brick wall was pretty tall so I wondered how he was going to pull this off. How was he going to climb up if his arms were busy carrying me? He couldn't possibly- "Natsume are you sure you can…?" My voice trailed off as I glanced up to catch a glimpse of his narrowed eyes.

His contact lenses had long gone transparent and the glow of his true eye color permeated through. The intensity of his red irises was far different from the last time I saw them. How could I compare? The previous time it was a soft gentle glow that was hardly noticeable. It was… kind.

But not these. They looked fierce, angry, and screamed red. They… frightened me.

My mouth trembled trying to find any words, but Hyuuga's eyes startled me as they darted in my direction.

That very split second of contact made me shiver. His eyes instantly looked away as we neared the wall.

I was even more shocked when Natsume didn't even warn me about the upcoming adjustments. He pushed me up higher in his arms before feeling his right arm leave my back and his left arm grip my thighs harder.

I winced from my knees rubbing up against each other, but I was more afraid of falling out of his arm.

He jumped up on a landscape ledge without slowing down and used his right arm to pull us upwards over the wall; his legs doing most of the work.

I was amazed on how he managed to execute it so easily. The landing was a bit rough, but it wasn't the last. We repeated this routine another four times before finally reaching the road.

I leaned away from his chest feeling his arm catching my back again as we landed. I wanted to see where we were so I could help him in some way.

My eyes darted left and right following the flood of cars trying to race away. It was hectic. Thankfully there weren't any people around here yet, but I could hear them in between the faint sirens. They were near.

"Natsume, we gotta get going," I curiously glanced down at him since he hadn't moved since we landed on this side. "Hey… what's the matter?" I asked sounding more concerned as he stumbled back pressing up against the wall.

"Natsume?" I leaned away trying to get a better look at him, but he began sliding down the wall using it as support.

I sat on his lap as his arms dropped to his sides and onto the cold sidewalk.

"Natsume what's wrong?- We can't stay here." I continued avoiding eye contact, "We gotta get going."

I pretended to watch the cars zooming by while I waited for Hyuuga to say something.

He didn't. And we didn't have time to waste, so I had no choice.

I began to fold my knees getting ready to stand.

I didn't care how bad my knees got burnt by the ice, if Natsume not moving meant it was my turn to get us out of here, then so be it.

I looked around frustrated, realizing my hands were out of the question. I had to figure out another way to stand without using them as leverage.

…damn, now what?

I accidently scooted my knees too close making me wince, but at the same time I was able to lift myself slightly.

I painfully began to stand when all of a sudden I felt Natsume's arms circle around my waist and roughly pulling me down again.

Out of pure shock, I turned to look at him. His face showed no emotion and his eyes were fully open now.

Natsume waited for me to look into his eyes, but I couldn't… I failed miserably.

"…Don't be afraid." My eyes widened from suddenly hearing Natsume's voice. He- spoke? And it sounded strange. His voice came out coarse, rough, as if he had a sore throat or something.

He didn't say much, but his words stung me. Even after what he said, I still couldn't look at him. I didn't want to admit I was afraid of looking into his eyes.

"I AM not afraid." I answered not being able to turn his way.

He didn't like that, obviously he didn't buy it.

His hands surprised me as they suddenly grabbed onto both sides of my face, forcing me to face him.

"You say you're not afraid, yet you can't look at me." His voice rang in my ears as it sounded so different to me. I couldn't help bite my bottom lip helplessly as his hands kept my face in place.

The only thing I managed to do was turn my body slightly in his direction since his hold was making my neck strain.

"Natsume, cut it out. We don't have time," I began changing the subject trying to play it cool, "We have to go before-"

He shook my head back once making me stop midsentence. And I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my mouth as Hyuuga roughly pulled me onto his lips.

Never in my life did I expect a kiss from him at a time like this.

My mouth trembled in denial as every heart beat thumped irregularly within my chest. I didn't know how to reply to the kiss and it felt like he didn't care either.

He angrily bit my bottom lip pulling it down to open my mouth and heatedly deepening the kiss.

I didn't know what to do. This wasn't a passionate kiss, it was far from it.

…it felt mad and I didn't know how to reply to it. I tried moving my tongue to his, but he licked me more aggressively causing me to moan instead.

I had no choice but to close my mouth from how heated my mouth felt. "Wait…" I breathed from behind clenched teeth as I tried breaking the kiss.

I used my forearms trying to push his arms away, but he just pulled me back in instead.

Natsume?

I tried slowing the kiss down to a more gentle rhythm by caressing his lips at a lingering pace, except he ignored it. He roughly pulled his lower lip away from between my lips and began trailing his kiss down my chin and jaw.

My breathing spiked and my mind emptied as his hands tangled within my hair and angled my head in a way that allowed his lips to explore my neck. The way he extended my neck made it feel highly sensitive to the trail of kisses he was planting. My body couldn't resist the hot wave of excitement as it made me shutter in his arms, "Nah…ahh…" I tried speaking between breaths.

I had to stop him from going any further or else he might leave a mark. He was beginning to push his jacket off of my shoulder. The lower his kisses trailed the more heated they were.

"You… can't…" I panted. He knew what I was trying to tell him but he purposely pressed his tongue against the base of my neck. Right in the dip of my left clavicle.

I gasped feeling his mouth suck a wet kiss on my skin. He had reached the spot that he wanted since he concentrated on this single spot.

God… I swear I raised my arms to push at his chest with the back of my hands, but somehow my forearms ended up locked behind his head. My body also purposely tilted my neck even more giving him all the access he wanted. It was enjoying it too much to care about the consequences.

I knew I was dead if my parents caught me with a hickie. My mind knew it, but apparently my body thought otherwise.

It didn't care.

Hyuuga suddenly pulled away, making me snap out of his trance. For a second I almost forgot I wanted him to stop.

I instantly pulled my arms away from the back of his head and I really couldn't help the growing feeling of embarrassment creeping up on me.

"Look at me." His voice ordered.

His command took me a few seconds to register but I slowly raised my eyes to his. I really wanted to look up and see Natsume, the one that held my hands and smiled. I wanted—

I couldn't help hide my shock as I gazed into his eyes. They… they weren't red anymore. The contact lenses were back to being blue with a small hint of glow to them. Just like the eyes that I wanted to see.

…But how? I didn't understand, "You—I mean you're eyes are-"

"I know." His voice began to sound close to its normal tone, "So don't… be afraid anymore." He paused for breath as his breathing suddenly began picking up.

Wait- what's happening? "Natsume?" I sat up straight noticing his nose began to bleed. "What's wrong?!" Why was he suddenly bleeding?

He startled me again as he began to cough as well.

"No, no, no,no,no Natsume, what's happening? You were fine a minute ago- you—you can't be," I felt the panic rifle up my body, "Hurt."

I examined his eyes again, and surprisingly noticed the glow completely gone. They were completely normal now, and yet-

Suddenly a car's horn sounded from behind me, cutting off my thoughts.

I turned my body around enough to see a car pull up to a stop.

I recognized the car instantly. It was Hotaru.

She hurridly got out of the driver's side and ran over, "Mikan?" She sounded relieved to see me, but her tone dropped as she saw the condition we were in.

Thankfully she didn't ask questions and helped me stand.

"Quick Hotaru, its Natsume. Something suddenly went wrong-"

"No time. We'll talk later. We have to get him in the car; quick!" She tried to help Natsume stand, but Hyuuga stubbornly ignored her hand.

I don't know with what strength he managed to get himself up, but he also surprised us as he picked me up in his arms again and carried me to the car.

"Natsume are you crazy?!" I tried wiggling out of his arms, except he was already placing me inside the car.

He placed me the furthest he could into the back seat while getting in himself too. Hotaru didn't waste time either; she closed the door as soon as we were both inside and ran around the front of the car to get into the driver's seat.

"Why is he bleeding?" Imai asked as she drove the car back on the road.

"I—I don't know!" I grew more panicked as I felt Hyuuga's head collapse on my lap.

Natsume's eyes seemed dull… and I noticed his blinking was off. His eyes were pressing shut longer and slower. He was beginning to lose consciousness.

"Natsume, don't!" I clapped my hands on the sides of his face ignoring my own pain, "Don't fall asleep. Try to stay awake. You can see me right?- Can you?"

I felt my heart drop as I saw him shake his head.

"Then— then what about my voice? You can hear me then, right?!" I grabbed his face leaning down closer to him.

Thankfully he tipped his head down once. But that also caused another stream of blood to drip from his nose and onto my dirt covered birthday dress.

"Listen to me- you—you're going to be okay. I don't know what's wrong but you will be okay!" I spoke quickly as his eyes were closing, "I promise…" My voice trailed off as his eyes shut for good.

"I'll drive to the hospital-" Imai mentioning hospital drew me back to my senses.

"No!" I shouted too suddenly making her glance back at me. "Hotaru we can't." I knew from the past experience that Natsume avoided hospitals for personal reasons, "Take me home instead. I'll treat him there, just let me borrow your phone real quick." I reached out as far as I could without moving Hyuuga.

"Who are you going to call?" Hotaru passed her phone back to me without turning around.

"The only person I could call at a time like this." She might not be a doctor, but she's been able to pull off miracles when the occasion called for it. "I'm calling Ms. Serina."

She'll know what to do.

* * *

**Some birthday right? Sucks for Mikan, but things are going to be completely different now that the truth is out.**

**As for Natsume, his body is finally starting to move and his eyes are showing their true eye color. A color he doesn't know of. **

**So next up, an insider of what could have been Natsume's past and recovery.**

**Hope you comment/ review any thoughts or advice. It's always fun to see what my fans think, so please don't hesitate to share a few words.**

**THANKYOU for reading, until next time!**


	10. Suspicions

**Welcome back to another long chapter of MDBIC. Finally got around to finishing up this new chapter. I got carried away and ended up writing another long chapter, so I guess it's kinda becoming a habit lol**

**I want to point out that somewhere down this chapter I included a 'Normal POV'. By this I meant the story isn't in either Hyuuga's or Sakura's POV. See they were both unavailable at the moment so I had to find a way to explain the situation. No worries though, it was only for a few brief lines so it shouldn't be that weird.**

**Other than that it should be pretty smooth.**

**Now onward.**

**Hope you like**

**ENJOY XD**

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_Dream 1:Phase 2_

I sat alone in a white room with nothing but a steel framed table in front of me. I seemed to be holding onto a black pen while scribbling whatever was crossing my mind. Who the hell knew how long I've been at it, it seemed like I've been doing this for a while since there were several other papers scattered all over the table.

Had I spaced out this whole time? The, spine-chilling-sudden-realization, of wanting to know where I was suddenly struck me.

I dropped the pen out of my hand and stood up from my chair to curiously scope the room. This room… as fucked up as it may be, it felt familiar for some reason. And it was wrong feeling this since this room resembled a room in an Asylum.

There was nothing but a twin sized mattress on some steel bedframes backed up in one corner. A toilet in another corner, and the table I was standing next to had two chairs assigned to it.

…Okay, now the thought of a prison cell or an interrogation room crossed my mind.

I was standing in the very center of the room where the only concentrated lamp was beaming down right on me.

There were no windows and bizarrely no… door? Oh but the typical half mirrored wall was right across from me. No shocker there…

I couldn't tell from where I was standing if there was an outline of a door because of the way the walls were matted, so to kill time I began inspecting each of the walls up close to find the possible door outline.

I ran my fingers on the soft fabric that creviced every two or so feet. It took me awhile to find it, but eventually I did. It didn't have a handle or a door knob to it, so there was no way out from my end.

Why the hell was I locked up? I wanted to know where I was and why I was here.

I gave up on the idea of finding a way out and walked back to the table.

What had I been writing anyways? I curiously sat down and began looking through the papers. At first I couldn't interpret the scribbles- like they should have made sense to me right away, but it just wasn't reaching the tip of my tongue. I knew this though, it—

I bolted up from the chair as I heard a beeping noise coming from the direction of the door.

… Someone was coming in.

I backed away cautiously seeing the door open. _What was wrong with me?_ My damn heart was beginning to pound for some reason. _Why did I feel afraid all of a sudden? Was I expecting something bad to happen?_

My body relaxed as I saw the person appear. It felt like I knew him. I couldn't see his face- yet I knew him? And he was strangely taller than me, like by a lot. I swear the closer he got the more I tipped my head back to look up at him. I wanted to see his face, and I wanted to know why I was here, but… no. No words came out and my eyes couldn't lift higher than his white lab uniform.

"What's the matter— you-" I stared at him puzzlingly. "Seem-" His voice suddenly disappeared.

_Strange… if I didn't know any better I could say he basically glitched? –No… that couldn't be. My mind wasn't making sense._

I tried to say something, but my mouth didn't open. Not only that, but my body found the perfect opportunity to tense up as I realized I couldn't force myself to speak. _Why the hell couldn't I talk?!_ I began to feel the anxiety ripping through my body.

I could see the man talking as he kept walking over to me but I kept backing away unwillingly.

_Alright, I reached my bullshit phase. Why the fuck couldn't I control my body?! There had to be something wrong going on! This had to be a dream or something!- A nightmare some shit!_

All the possible thoughts to keep me sane rushed through my head.

I backed away to the point that I reached the bed. I scurried backwards onto it as I forced my hands to my mouth. I wanted to force my mouth open, but my fingers went limp. Almost as if they went numb all of a sudden. I couldn't feel them anymore.

_SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!_ My heart pounded hardcore flooding with adrenaline.

But FINALLY after a chain of deep breaths and possibly close to hyperventilating, my voice came out as a loud scream.

It was a cry out of shrill anxiety but nothing more.

My actions caused the doctor to rush me and pin me down on the bed. He was yelling something while digging through one of his lab coat pockets, but I stopped responding as I noticed my body was a lot smaller than his.

_Why didn't I notice this before?_

…_I wasn't in my body… I was a kid, a really small one. Why was I…_

My body kept writhing on its own even though I wasn't telling it to.

I screamed again seeing more men in white clothes rush into the room.

I forced my eyes shut and opened them again to realize I was now viewing the dream in third person.

_I could see me now and it was fuckin' crazy! How was this possible?_

The little boy that I used to be cried and screamed covered in sweat as the man holding him down injected a pen syringe into his neck.

_I- he didn't stand a chance…_

I didn't have the body to help or put an end to this. I wanted to scream and tell them to let go but I felt so useless. _How could they treat a little kid like this? Who gave them the fuckin' right?! He's just a kid! I—I was just a kid…_

The other men had reached him now and the younger me continued to squirm. Whatever it was that he was injected with, it wasn't working fast enough and they knew it too.

One of the extra guy's began strapping on what seemed like heavy slick gloves for some reason, and the doctor on top of my body sat back and shielded his face with his arms just as the gloved man grabbed ahold of the boy's wrists.

… What I saw next, was really hard to interpret, or rather believe. I don't know if I blanked out because of the sudden burst of flames that ignited on the man's gloves, but it was a fact- I mean IT WAS THERE. The man holding the boy's wrists over his head in a crossed manner had his arms covered in dancing flames.

I blink twice in complete ABSOLUTE denial for what I just witnessed. That couldn't be possible…

I opened my eyes again to see myself back inside the boy's body.

_No fucking way… it seriously looked bad from the outside, now I was back inside again?!_

I could feel the sweat pouring out of my body as it felt scorching hot from the inside. The fire was coming from inside of me somehow…

I was running out of breath and my red vision was beginning to blur. The foreign fluid inside of me was starting to take effect.

My eyes rolled around as my body grew limp.

The flame on the man's gloves suddenly disseminated into thin air too.

_What was wrong with me? What kind of fucked up nightmare was this? I was seriously beginning to think I was in a mental institute; feeling I was fucking crazy or something… but not anymore._

I was—

"You're going to be alright," The previous doctor's voice suddenly became audible again as he shook my body. I stared at him not being able to comprehend how much his words impacted me. "I won't let anything bad happen to you okay?" I've heard them before… I've heard those words—"I promise."

My consciousness was slipping and my vision was close to gone. I tried glancing at the man's face one last time, but I couldn't see it. My eyes traveled down to notice the gold strip nametag on his chest.

I tried keeping my eyes open a second longer to read it but my vision blacked out.

"I… zu…-"

* * *

I gasped the biggest breath I could breathe in as I sat up awake. I panted for breath because of the way my heart was fiercely pounding.

God, I felt sick…

Where the hell was I this time? I looked around noticing I was in a completely different room compared to the one in my dream. That put me at ease. There was no comparison.

I patted my clammy bare chest down making sure I was back to my normal size. Not only that, but no more crazy white gown. I wasn't in my dream anymore. This convinced me a little more.

I glanced around the pale grey room again this time noticing the matching modern furniture along the bedsides and walls. It was a small room with two windows on the right wall and a door at the far left corner. The room also had a few picture frames up but they were all scenery. Not enough to tell me where I was, but I was a little relieved this room was normal. It had a comforting feeling to it.

I didn't feel alert for some reason, but I still had to figure out where this room connected to. Whose house was I in, and how did I get here?

I pushed the blanket off of me to see I was wearing black sweat pants. Sweat pants…? I don't remember changing…

I tried recalling back to my latest set of clothes to surprisingly remembering the moment I was about to climb over the balcony that night of the party.

No way…

My senses spiked for the first time. Someone changed my clothes…

I swiftly began moving towards the edge of the bed. I was all confounded and panicky that it wasn't until I stepped off the bed that I realized my legs were still asleep.

I totally ate it landing face down. If anything, this meant I must have been out for at least a couple days or so.

Shit… but how long could that be?

I had no choice but to stay on the floor and helplessly roll over so I could at least look at the ceiling.

I just hoped no one better walk in.

Minutes began to tick away as I waited for the feeling in my legs to return. And as I helplessly laid there, my mind was debating on whether to remember what led to me being here or to make sense of that crazy half-assed nightmare. Actually- my mind didn't want to think about the dream. It fuckin' sucked being in it and I certainly didn't want to make sense of it since it got so bizarre at the end. I just… can't forget the pain and fear I felt in it- It felt so real, so fresh, how could I bring myself to forget?

Now as to finding out where I was? Yeah- I wasn't going anywhere without getting the feeling back in my legs again.

I tried bending my knees, but the blood flow wasn't QUITE there yet. What I COULD feel though was the tingling sensation on my thighs now. That was some progress.

I sat up a little to bring my elbows back to recline myself a bit but noticed something shifting under the bed.

It caught my attention as the bottom layer that covered the gap between the bed and the carpet swept sideways; almost like it got pushed.

Something was down there alright. I laid back and rolled over once so I could be on my stomach and closer to the bed.

I reached over with my right hand and lifted the cover to surprisingly find Youichi sleeping there faced down. Apparently he rolled over or shifted in some way that caused his hand to brush up against the cover.

…What the hell? Why was Youichi here?

Before I could wonder about the different possibilities, my ears caught the sound of the door knob turning.

Fuck!

Not this again.

Someone was coming in. My mind raced back to the haunting memory of my nightmare. The similarity triggered the same emotions causing me to shift myself over to hide underneath the bed.

I didn't want the same thing to play out. The whole not having control of my body, I think that was the critical point in my dream that caused me to lose my mind. It fucked me over then, but it wasn't going to happen again.

Not if I could help it.

The person walked in while I repositioned Youichi's arm without waking him up. I tried making him move more to the right but I didn't have any more time. The person immediately rushed over to the bed noticing I wasn't there anymore.

I tried lifting the cover as little as possible in the direction the person was standing in order to get a hint of their appearance.

The person was wearing black low-pointed heels with nude leggings, obviously revealing that it was a woman.

This put me at an advantage.

If I could time this right, I might be able to get to her before she could make a run for it.

She unexpectedly turned on her heels and hastily began heading for the door cutting my thought process short.

I didn't think she would move out this fast dammit...

I did the next big thing that crossed my mind since I really didn't have an exact plan to stop her.

Before she could get any further, I reached out as far as I could and got a hold of her right ankle. I suddenly pulled it back as hard as I could earning a small scream from her as she toppled forward catching herself on her hands. She tried looking back, but I pulled her ankle even more making her fall on her stomach now.

I had enough feeling back in my legs to respond to my body's commands, so I crawled out from underneath the bed just in time to see Youichi staring wide-eyed at me.

The scream the lady had let out was enough to wake him up, but even so that didn't stop me.

I was out of the bed and dragging the lady toward me until I was able pin her down with my body. I sat on her back with a knee on her back and waited. I wanted her to face me over her shoulder.

I wanted to see her face but her long blonde hair was all over the place. I couldn't tell just yet who it was.

After a brief moment, I began to grow suspicious since she wasn't moving or showing any signs of resisting. Something didn't feel right.

Why the hell was she so calm? What the hell- how COULD she be this calm?

This pissed me off for some reason. I had the upper hand here not her.

I had no choice but to figure it out on my own.

I gripped a fist load of her hair and lifted her face off the floor. I wanted to see her face so I leaned over to inspect it but all of a sudden I felt a darting pain strike my upper thigh. I swiftly looked to my left thigh to see a pen syringe jabbed onto the side of my leg. Shit-

My adrenaline pumped as I heard the foreign fluid actually fizzle as it moved into my body. What the hell was in this thing?!

I ripped the pen off my leg as fast as I could, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SHOOT ME WITH?!" I yelled at her as I gripped the back of her neck with my right hand while I held the syringe with the other. The whole thing didn't get to empty out in my leg.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I tightened my hand on her neck anxiously waiting for her answer but instead the sudden realization hit me.

It practically dawned on me. I've seen this- this thing before. I opened my hand allowing the syringe to roll down my open palm. This was the same thing THAT doctor in my dream used.

THIS was meant to knock me out in a matter of minutes.

"FUCK!" I urgently got off of her and forced her to face me.

I never expected to come face to face with Yamada. My own fucking school nurse was looking right back at me with her eyes trembling in fear.

Why the hell did she—"WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS?!" I yelled startling her even more, but she still remained silent.

She needed to tell me where she got this! Why she had it, and her connection!

I was running out of time dammit!

Her eyes darted away making me glare at her even more, "Alright..." I smirked surprising her, "I see you're not going to tell me what I want to hear, and I'm running out of time." I stated making her eye me suspiciously, "But if I remember correctly, this thing doesn't kick in for another few minutes-"

"HOW DID YOU KN-" She swallowed the last part of her words. She knew she had said something she wasn't supposed to.

I purposely chuckled while switching my grip from the collar part of her dress to her neck, "Oh I fuckin' know, and I'm pretty sure I have enough time to strangle the SHIT OUT OF YOU IF YOU DON'T FUCKING TALK!" This bitch has been nothing but shady since she gave me those fucked up pills. "Now…" I paused to clear my throat since I was getting tired of yelling, "tell me who the hell you really are and don't skip out on the rest of the questions either." I pressed my hands tighter on her neck making her cough a couple times.

"It…it's…" she said in between coughs, "…for your own good." She wheezed.

I released a bit of my grip, "How so?"

"I'm… supposed to… protect you…" Her eyes sternly locked onto mine letting me know she was telling the truth. But what caught my attention was what she said.

What did I need protection for? Who the hell was she?

"Why do you say that?" I asked trying to make my eyes focus. Fuck, I was beginning to feel the substance starting to take effect. My grip was getting weaker on its own.

Serina noticed it too so her expression began to relax.

I shook my head to fix my sight, but at the same time completely disregarded the part when I felt her hands cup my face.

"Natsume, you are…" She caressed my face with her hands, "someone very special."

I felt her hands brush into my hair as I began to feel my body grow heavier by the second.

And just like I experienced it in my dream, my vision began to blur and my heartbeat began to drop.

I was beginning to lose consciousness so I couldn't resist when I found myself falling back on the floor.

I fell on my back and tried rolling over to my side but instead felt Serina hold me in place. She hovered over me as my eyes struggled to stay open.

"Don't fight it Natsume," her gentle smile became hazy, "It's for your own good. I won't let anything bad happen to you…" Her words triggered the same scene in my dream. "I promise."

My mind raced to remember the doctor's words in my dream along with his nametag, and just I passed out it resurfaced, "…Izu…mi…"

* * *

**Normal POV**

Ms. Serina's expression dropped as the name of Izumi was called out by Natsume. She didn't know how to interpret or even react for the situation at hand. She was considerably lucky that the L. Anju household was exceptionally empty or this would have been a rather unexplainable event. She wouldn't be able to explain the involvement of Izumi Yukihara since she was even misinformed.

"Izumi?" Yuka unexpectedly stood at the doorframe with her husband in tow.

_This can't be…_ Ms. Serina realized the situation had turned for the worse. She knew enough to say Izumi was Yuka's late husband, so Yamada found herself at a loss for words.

They had completely missed out on Natsume's rampage but managed to hear the very last name Natsume called out.

Serina didn't know what to say and had to think of something fast.

She knew she didn't have time to hesitate, but instead she focused on placing Natsume's head on her lap.

"He lost consciousness." She figured it would be best to explain the situation at hand.

Yuka on the other hand remained frozen by the doorframe as her husband gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Narumi knew that his wife's head was in complete turmoil. All those unwanted memories resurfacing because of that name. It couldn't be possible that it was the same Izumi that they had in mind.

"Mr. Narumi?" Ms. Serina called out to him bringing him back from his thoughts, "Would you be so kind as to help me move Natsume to the bed? I apologize for Natsume's distortedness. I can't seem to understand what he mentioned last." Ms. Serina had no choice but to play oblivious.

Narumi hesitated at first but moved forward, "Was there anything in particular he mentioned about 'this' Izumi fellow?"

"I'm not quite sure…" Ms. Serina backed away as Narumi picked up Hyuuga and carried his limp body to the bed. She was well aware of Natsume's condition and because of that she had been purposely sedating him to keep him unconscious for as long as she was told otherwise.

She was instructed to do so until further notice, and had been tentative since the night she received a call from Mikan Sakura.

Once Natsume was safely placed in the bed, Ms. Serina didn't waste any time to excuse herself, "If you'll excuse me, I have to make a quick phone call."

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

I woke up in my bed to notice Youichi gone yet again. Why did he always make a run for it whenever I took a nap? It wasn't like he was playing hide and seek or anything. He always ended up in the same place and it was pretty funny finding him under Natsume's bed every time.

It had been so boring around here because of my lost privileges; the only time I could feel time move was whenever I fell asleep.

If it wasn't for Youichi being here, I think I would have lost it. Thankfully my mom and Narumi went to pick him up from the childcare center Natsume had left him the night of my birthday.

It had been three days now, and still no reaction from Hyuuga. Ever since he lost consciousness he hasn't woken up once. Miss Serina said he was stable and that it wasn't anything serious. That supposedly his condition happened to be a result from overly fatigue.

At first I didn't find this case relevant, but after recalling the things Natsume had told me about working nonstop and taking care of Youichi. It started making sense.

This… was seriously my fault. If I wouldn't have fallen into Nonoko's and Anna's birthday surprise, this wouldn't have happened. They plotted along with Ruka to create my surprise birthday party, but it all ended up a disaster in the end.

What a way to introduce my first boyfriend to my parents or as a matter of fact to my friends. I'm grounded, guilty and stranded here until my parents say otherwise.

I haven't received any calls or visits from anyone except Hotaru. She stayed the night of my birthday and helped me take care of Natsume while Miss Serina got here. We waited while Hotaru took time to share her concerns about my sudden relationship with Natsume, and even Hotaru admitted it wasn't a good thing. My own best friend didn't approve of it especially after she saw the hickie on my neck. She even admitted that she saw us… uhmm doing that.

I covered my face remembering the moment. Just thinking about it made me blush.

I shook my head to get rid of my thoughts and began moving off my bed as gently as possible.

It had only been a few days so~ my burns were still pretty fresh. It's not like they were swollen anymore, but they were highly sensitive and had a rosy tint to them. And for that reason I was stuck wearing leg warmers under my pajama pants and mittens on my hands every day.

It wasn't so bad now that I got used to it; and besides the weather was pretty cold too so I didn't complain about it; it kept me warm if anything.

Just before I could leave my room, I still had to take care of one minor detail.

I stood up from my bed and went to my wall length mirror. There was something I had to keep checking on a daily basis. I pulled the collar part of my shirt away from my left clavicle to reveal the pink mark I've been hiding this whole time. Nobody knew about it except Hotaru, and I had no choice but to beg her to keep it a secret from my parents. As much as I hated to admit it, I didn't stop Natsume from leaving a mark.

NEVER in my life had I ever acted that way or rather ever felt something so embarrassingly good…

I shook the memories away again.

If anything- I'd have to figure out a way to control the situation if I ever found myself in the same predicament. The slight thought of even questioning Natsume about it startled my heart. Like, I know I'm still getting to know him, but if I based the situation on what I had learned about him, he would have never acted that way. It didn't make sense. In reality it felt like Natsume lost control. He acted the complete opposite. The cool and composed Natsume would have NEVER forced me into such a bewildered kiss.

That wasn't my only doubt either.

Natsume's fight with Ruka was another thing that concerned me.

There's no breaking the ice between the two. Ruka found out about my relationship with Natsume the worst way possible and it felt terrible the way he had to find out… but… I couldn't just stand there and accept his proposal. I was no longer responsible for my own actions and I wasn't alone. I had to respect Natsume's trust.

God, I felt so guilty after Ruka stole that kiss from me. The instant it happened I began drowning in guilt. He had guided me to his room as we decided to get some fresh out on his room's balcony.

Don't get me wrong, it felt fishy the moment he mentioned to go to his room, but even so I didn't want to upset Ruka. I… I didn't know what to say to him. I was so spacy and lost in thought at the time, he took that as a window to surprise me with a kiss. Then after all that happened we left his balcony and headed back inside for my birthday announcement.

I will never be able to thank Natsume enough for showing up and helping me out of Ruka's hold.

I don't even want to consider what's waiting for us at school.

After reapplying a bit of cover-up on the hickie and fixing my hair to fall over that shoulder, I made sure my white collar was also covering it.

I left my room quickly and headed down the stairs just in time to see Miss Serina leave out the front door. She was busily dialing a number on her phone, so she didn't really notice me.

Did something happen to Natsume?

I curiously watched the front door closed behind her. As soon as she was out of sight, I left down the stairs and crossed the living room in order to get to the guest bedroom.

As I got closer to the room, I noticed the door was actually wide open; not only that but there were voices coming from inside.

I heard my mom and Narumi's voice talking from inside.

"It can't be the same Izumi we knew Yuka," Narumi's voice spoke with concern, "Do you have any idea how big of a coincidence that could be?" He asked.

"But what if it is?" My mom sounded unsure.

I stopped at the doorframe and noticed they were standing around Natsume. "Uhmm what's going on?" I interrupted taking a few steps into the room. Who was this Izumi guy they were talking about?

"Mikan?" My mom forced a smile walking over to me, "How are you feeling?" She changed the subject.

"I'm better I guess…" I glanced at Natsume since his position was different, "What happened?" I walked around her and toward the bed.

"He woke up actually but he collapsed shortly after," Narumi answered instead, "Luckily Miss Serina was here to help him in time."

I wave of relief surged through me, "Thank goodness." I sighed. Finally there was an improvement in Natsume's condition.

I wanted to figure out more into it, but my parents began guiding me out of the room, "Wait-" I made them stop at the door. "I have to get Youichi." I quickly ran over to the side of the bed and knelt down gently to look under it.

Youichi was there staring wide eyed in the direction I lifted the cover from. "Youichi?" He seemed scared for some reason, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head and scooted even further away from me.

"What's the matter?" I asked while lowering myself on my stomach and shifted under the bed. My hands stung a little, but I pressed forward.

"Mikan?" My mom suddenly called out to me in concern, "Is Youichi okay?"

"Uhmm yeah…" I called over my shoulder, "He's just scared for some reason and I think he's holding on to something." I noticed his hands were clasped together so tightly.

I slowly eased my way over with the help of my elbows and stopped a few inches away from him, "It's okay I came to get you." I tried easing his fear with a soft smile.

He pushed away even further, but this time he backed away to the point that he reached the wall behind him.

What happened that Youichi was so afraid all of a sudden? "Youichi, it's me Mikan. I'm not going to hurt you," I extended my gloved hand out to him so he could grab it, "Don't tell me you don't like me anymore?" I pouted to which he instantly shook his head to. "Then can you grab my hand?" I offered.

He hesitated at first but grabbed on a few seconds later.

"Thank you." I smiled feeling Youichi's firm grip on my fingers. "Now let's get out of here and get some hot cocoa. I'll add marshmallows just how you like?"

He silently nodded and began moving towards the edge of the bed. He got out first while I followed right after.

My mom and Narumi were still waiting by the doorframe by the time we got out, "Sorry about that, uhmm Youichi likes hiding there once in a while so that's why I knew he was down here." I felt like I owed them an explanation.

Youichi on the other hand, released my fingers and ran over to Narumi.

"What is it?" Narumi and my mom knelt down so they could see what Youichi was holding out to them.

My mom looked at the object a little confused, but Narumi was the one that grabbed it out of Youichi's hand.

"It looks like a pen?" Narumi inspected the object in his hand. It wasn't until he clicked the top that the pen made a switch noise. "It's a… syringe."

My eyes widened, "Are you serious?" I ran over to get a better look.

"Ms. Serina must have dropped it." My mom answered which Youichi nodded his head to.

"Well what is it? Do you know what's inside?" I asked Narumi.

He shook his head, "No, I don't know what's inside of this. I've never seen anything like it." Narumi stood up while clicking the needle back into the barrel.

"I'll tell Ms. Serina she dropped it." I stood up to get by the door, but Narumi caught my arm.

"Don't." He stopped me. "There's still some of the solution inside. I'd like to figure out what's inside without her knowing."

… "Why?" I drew a blank.

"So you sense it too?" My mom added.

Narumi nodded, "I do." They exchanged the same curious stare before heading out of the room.

I stood there completely lost, "What do you guys mean?" I called out a few seconds later before following after them.

* * *

My mom and Narumi had left that afternoon, while I was left alone with Youichi yet again.

They had their suspicions about something, but I didn't have the slightest clue on what. My parents didn't bother explaining anything. They just took off like always. Whenever something catched their attention they insisted upon it on their own.

"Youichi?" I called over my shoulder while I lowered a few plates from the upper cabinets, "Would you carry these to the table for me?" I was in the middle of making soup for dinner.

It was getting pretty cold around the house even though the heater was on so it helped having an active kitchen to make the house extra cozy.

As soon as the soup was done, I made sure to turn off the stove before walking away, "I'll be right back Youichi. I'm going to see if your brother's awake so he can come eat with us." I washed my hands and wiped them dry before leaving the kitchen.

I didn't slip my gloves back on like I was supposed to. It felt like my hands needed a quick breather anyways.

Youichi had managed to calm down after a few cups of hot cocoa and marshmallows. He really liked sweet things and I even learned a few other things about him the past few days. For instance, he likes to draw. I've had a few drawing sessions with Youichi and he was pretty talented. I had to admit for a six year old, he was pretty good.

And not only that, he was obviously fond of cartoons, animated movies, and liked his share of music.

It… it was fun having a little kid around, especially since I had always been a single child. It felt nice almost having a little brother for a change.

A smile spread across my lips as I reached Natsume's door.

I pushed the door slightly open to reveal complete darkness. The whole room was pitch black because of the way it had gotten dark out.

I flipped the light switch on and carefully approached the bed without unnecessary movements.

Hyuuga hadn't moved at all. He was still in deep sleep. Hard to believe there was any improvement. I was hoping maybe I'd see him awake now that he's woken up once.

But sadly no, I let out a disappointed sigh as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

What would I have done if he would have been awake? Would he ask me questions? Would he try to run away? I had never really anticipated what could happen after Natsume regained consciousness.

Where could I begin to explain…?

I scooted closer to Natsume as I felt the sudden curiosity to inspect him up close.

He looked so peaceful… My heart drummed a little faster as my fingers unknowingly caressed the side of his face. It was out of my control- he just seemed so gentle…

I strangely found myself leaning closer to him.

A stirred up feeling began to emanate in my stomach as I found myself craving Natsume's lips.

IT seemed crazy but… I wanted to steal a kiss.

My cheeks warmed up with the shy intention, but I still continued leaning in closer.

My hand cupped the side of his face as my lips gently pressed up against Natsume's. The moment my lips sealed his, my heart soared with an overwhelmed emotion. It scared me.

It instantly reminded me of the heated kiss that led to the mark on my neck. The thought made me restrain myself from kissing him any further.

I pulled away to come face to face with a fully awoken Natsume.

"OH MY-" I shrieked back from the startling surprise. I jumped back as Hyuuga scurried back against the back frame hitting his head as a result.

I gasped in return, "I'm sorry!" I immediately covered my mouth and apologized. It was my fault for scaring him all of a sudden.

"Why…" He tried to control his rapid breathing, "Why… are you here?" Natsume was crouched up against the back rest evidently confused.

"It's okay," I raised my hands up in defense; "You're in my house." I lightly informed him.

His eyes searched the room as if he needed something to confirm I was telling the truth.

"…Why?" His eyes met mine again, "Why am I here?"

My eyes widened from his question. Did that mean he didn't remember? Like anything?!

"Nat- Natsume… you've been asleep since the night of my birthday." I began to explain.

"How long was that ago?" He eyed me curiously.

I guess he still didn't believe me, "It's been about three days Natsume. It's already Saturday." My birthday took place on a Wednesday.

He leaned off the back rest and sat down on the bed.

His bare chest suddenly caught my attention, "Uhmm…" I awkwardly turned away feeling my cheeks warm up again.

"How- why was I asleep for so long?" He asked my back.

I tried finding the right words to sum up everything that happened that night. How could I explain everything in a brief way? "… Well?" I began to go over that night's event carefully trying to recollect his memories.

It seemed like he remembered everything up to the point when we left Ruka's house. He said he didn't remember anything about getting in a fight or seeing the disaster that formed once the cops showed up. I told him about the way we had to make a run for it and how we had no choice but to hop fences.

…but… Natsume still didn't remember.

I really REALLY wanted to skip the part about the mark on my neck, but my story so far wasn't convincing him.

I had no choice…

"You- you were really scary that night, Natsume…" A huge knot formed in my gut as I finally admitted what I felt that night, "It was like you had completely transformed into something else." I confessed without looking at him. "The way you handled that fight, the way the tear gas didn't have any effect on you, and how your eyes… changed…" I didn't want to admit that I was mostly afraid of his eyes that night.

They were so inhumane, the thought made me tremble.

"What did I do?" Hyuuga suddenly asked knowing he must have scared me somehow.

I took a deep breath before explaining the rest.

…

"…I want to see it." He suddenly stated just as I finished the part about him losing consciousness inside of Hotaru's car.

I knew he was going to ask that the moment I mentioned the hickie to him. "Uhmm…"

"Show it to me." He pulled at my wrist causing me to sit down on the edge of the bed.

This whole time I had my back turned to him because he didn't have a shirt on.

"Where is it?" He scooted closer sitting next to me.

"It's uhmm…" I moved my hair out of the way and gently shrugged off the left side of my collar. "I put make-up on it so my parents wouldn't see it." I rubbed my thumb over the hickie revealing its true color.

Hyuuga sat up and inspected it up close as he ran his thumb over it as well. The simple touch of his fingers made my skin crawl with goose bumps.

After a few seconds Natsume surprisingly spoke up, "I- I did this…" His voice trailed off as he sat back completely disappointed.

"Do you remember any part of it?" I tried to make any of his memories resurface.

"I… do." He ran his hand down his face feeling even worse. "I remember this part."

"You do?!" I sat up straight and faced his way in complete shock. "You remember?"

"…Yeah." He pushed his hair back frustrated, "You were afraid of me. It pissed me off seeing that look on your face. " He sighed realizing how badly that resulted.

So it DID make sense after all. That time he kissed me, it wasn't out of desire, but complete anger. The way he looked at me and spoke- HIS EYES, it wouldn't surprise me if he was pissed at me. It sure seemed that way.

"Natsume?" I finally spoke up after a few minutes went by. He glanced at me but he didn't meet my eyes so I took that as a sign to continue, "Are you okay- like are you hurt anywhere?"

He shook his head, "I wouldn't know. I don't feel anything."

His eyes narrowed all of a sudden. It looked he suddenly remembered something.

"What is it?" I asked standing up from the edge of the bed.

He answered a few seconds later, "It's nothing. Just something I need to take care of." He looked my way and noticed I was on my way to the door. "Can I get my clothes back?"

He suddenly seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh! Uhmm Narumi changed you." I reassured him for some reason. It felt like he needed to know all of a sudden, "You can use the shower up stairs so you can change." I nervously guided him out of the room and into the living room.

I didn't look back until I paused at the base of the stairs.

Natsume had slowly walked down the hallway with his hand gliding on the wall for support. He was having trouble balancing himself.

"Do you need help?" I quickly ran over to his side about to grab onto his free arm but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me." His words startled me.

I immediately took a step back, "Oh… umm okay." I averted my sad expression to the floor so he couldn't see it, "I'm sorry."

He let out a frustrated sigh, "You shouldn't be. You were just trying to help."

"I know…" I mumbled quietly to myself and turned away, "I'll go get your clothes. Follow me up the stairs, okay?"

I quickly climbed up the stairs and retrieved his clothes out of the laundry room before preparing the bathroom. I settled the appropriate temperature on the shower and laid out anything he might need including a pair of his contact lenses. I had to admit, it was pretty tricky getting his lenses without my parents noticing our disappearance. I remembered how my mom purposely took my car keys to work that day supposedly leaving me stranded with Youichi at home. Narumi was supposed to keep an eye on us but he got called out which happened to be our only lucky gap to execute my plan. I stole Natsume's keys from his belongings and took Youichi with me. I knew how to get back into town without the use of my car thanks to Natsume. We took the same subway route he had taught me and from there we walked in the direction to my school. From that point Youichi guided me to their place.

It was a little creepy where they lived, but it was understandable. Natsume didn't have the parents to provide him and Youichi with a proper home. He was the adult in their house and I couldn't possibly imagine the hardships they had lived through. The only thing that mattered was that he's been able to provide Youichi with a stable home.

I didn't follow Youichi up to their apartment like he wanted. I let him go alone to retrieve the necessary things. I waited in the lobby knowing I would be overstepping my boundaries if I went into their home without Natsume's consent.

It was a quick trip so we were back a little over an hour later. My parents never found out and Natsume's secret remained safe.

What a way to keep Natsume's secret a secret, right? A small giggle left me as I left the bathroom and into the hallway.

I returned to the stairs to notice Natsume finally reaching the top. He took a little longer than I had expected. Geez, that meant he was REALLY having a hard time on his own. How could he deny my help? "Natsume, everything's set for you." I stated a few steps ahead of him. His head was down so my words caught his attention.

I really had to suppress the urge of offering him my help again. I had no choice but to swallow up my words instead. It would probably anger him if I did so just in case I avoided it.

"I'll go warm up the food again, so you can eat after you shower." I walked past him, but his voice stopped me at the stairs.

"No, I'm leaving right after. I've been here too long." He made it sound like he was being a burden all of a sudden.

"Well that's too bad." I purposely smiled catching him off guard, "You can't leave during a blizzard warning in effect so like it or not you can't leave." He glared at me knowing I had won.

I wittingly left down the stairs avoiding any protests from him.

I wasn't sure about the whole blizzard thing going on, like I had totally lied to him about it but as far as I know the odds were in my favor. For the past two nights we've had the blizzard warning go up, so I was pretty sure it would probably carry on tonight as well.

I returned to the kitchen to find Youichi standing up on one of the chairs while pouring fruit punch into three different cups. Not only that but he set up the whole table. He had placed the plates I had set out for him, spoons, napkins, and even cups.

I wondered about the cups part since those were in the top cabinets.

"Here Youichi, let me help you." I rushed over seeing how his small arms were trembling from holding up the big gallon of juice. "Sorry I took so long to get back." I explained to him how his brother was up and about now.

He immediately smiled from the good news I gave him.

I had to reheat the soup again so I let Youichi snack on a few chips while it was ready.

It took a few minutes for it to reboil again. I frequently stirred the soup while I added in a few extra pieces of vegetables. It wasn't until the very last minute that I decided to add in a few extra spices, "Hey, do you want me to add anything in particular?" I called out will going through the pantry for different condiments.

I didn't expect a verbal reply.

"Yeah, you're forgetting the soy sauce and you're putting too much spice into it." Hyuuga spoke from behind me as he grabbed the soy sauce off the counter. "He won't eat it if it's too spicy."

I quickly fixed my surprised expression and looked over my shoulder, "Oh thanks." I purposely smiled back as I accepted the soy sauce. "So uhmm how much should I add?"

"The hell should I know?- just add it. As long as he can taste it, he'll eat it."

Geez, "Sorry, for asking…" I muttered quietly to myself. He didn't have to say it in such a mean way, "Soup's ready." I looked over at Youichi, "Youichi you're first." I walked over to the table and filled his plate first. "You've been really patient and even helped set up the table." I smiled at him.

"Natsume what about you, you're eating too right?" I began filling the next plate.

"No, I'm not hungry."

His response almost made me drop the ladle. "What- you can't be serious?" I deliberately ignored his reply and continued serving him a bowl; and a big one at that. "You haven't eaten anything for like three days. There's NO possible way you wouldn't be hungry."

I served a big portion of the soup into the bowl and personally pulled his chair out. "Well?" I challenged putting the pot down before crossing my arms.

Hyuuga mocked my pose and crossed his arms too, "Well what?" He leaned his back against the counter making it obvious he wasn't moving.

I raised a brow, "Oh is that how it's going to be?" I locked eyes with him engaging in a random staring contest.

I was dead serious about making him eat, but he wasn't. Natsume was taking my challenge as more of a joke than a threat.

I tried turning my stare into a glare, but he still didn't faze. All that got me was a taunting smirk on his behalf.

Dammit… my glare faltered. That smirk obviously had some charm behind it. It literally made me completely aware of his cursing good looks! My eyes couldn't help break the staring contest and stray down his body. Right away, I noticed how his white unbuttoned-shirt tightly hugged his biceps. He had his sleeves pushed up so his arms looked exceptionally good the way he had them crossed. His black undershirt clung to his chest and abdominal area in a way that it outlined his firm muscles. I couldn't believe I never made note on how well built he was. Like his muscle tone wasn't heavy or slow, not like those crazy body builders. Far from it- it was the quick, agile muscles that build over time that gave his body the excellent tone.

God, he looked so good right now, I hated him for it.

"So…" His voice trailed off as my eyes stopped at his beltline. "Are you still going to force me to eat, or would you rather take my shirt off and we can take this to-"

I snapped out of it in panic.

What?! "DON'T!" I covered my face feeling embarrassed for getting caught, "(Are you crazy…?)" I whispered, "(Don't say that kind of stuff in front of a child!)" I rambled from behind my hands.

My cheeks were seriously burning red from all the blushing.

I tried my hardest to avoid the fact he had caught me checking him out and changed the subject, "You're going to eat!" I dropped my hands and cleared my throat.

I tried giving him attitude to cover up my humiliation.

Hyuuga surprisingly didn't say anything back and leaned off the counter. "Alright." He unexpectedly agreed.

"Huhhh?" I gawked. I didn't expect for him to give in so easily, like he seriously made me go through all this awkwardness for no reason!

He quietly took a seat next to Youichi while I nerve-rackingly filled my own bowl across from him.

I returned the pot of soup to the stove and went back to my chair to see Hyuuga staring at me.

I rolled my eyes, "What now?"

He picked up his spoon and pointed it at me, "I'm allergic to carrots."

My face literally dropped, "Really?!" It seriously felt like my blood pressure plummeted into a ditch.

"No. Not really." He cooly dipped his spoon in the soup and ate it.

"…Dammit Hyuuga…" I breathed out completely irritated. If this was his way of joking around- my God…

That blood pressure which dropped a few seconds ago nearly spiked all of a sudden. Why couldn't he just eat the damn soup in the first place?

* * *

After eating and cleaning up the kitchen we all settled in the living room just as my parents returned.

"I'm back." My mom called out expecting to find the living room empty. She immediately gave us a look of surprise as she set her eyes on us.

"Hi mom," I greeted her as we all turned our attention to her. It didn't surprise me when I saw her shivering from all the snow trailing on her. "Wow, is it that bad tonight too? Where's Narumi?" I noticed how she closed the door after her.

"He stayed at the office." She began removing her coat while her attention switched over to Natsume, "You're awake." Her lips formed a thin smile.

It seemed like my mom wasn't expecting to see Natsume awake just yet.

"Well that certainly changes things," my mom directed the subject as she headed for the kitchen, "But first thing's first. Natsume, would you mind meeting me in the kitchen?" Her sudden request made Natsume and I exchange looks.

What did she want to talk to him about? I sat there curiously thinking about it while Natsume didn't even hesitate. He stood up and left after my mom. I obviously followed after him.

We both appeared at the kitchen entrance to see my mom setting up a kettle of water on the stove.

"First of all…" My mom approached Natsume, "Nice to finally meet you Natsume Hyuuga." She extended her hand out, "I'm Mikan's mother, Yuka L. Anju."

Natsume silently accepted the handshake.

My mom flashed the same thin smile as before. "Not quite the talker, I see…" She commented walking around us and toward the table, "Please take a seat. I hope you don't mind if we have a quick conversation." She motioned with her hand for him to sit straight across from her.

Oh… I knew where this was going. This wasn't going to be an exact 'conversation'. My mom was setting up to interrogate him.

"Mom, I'm pretty sure Natsume's tired," I began to make an excuse up to get Natsume out of this, but she signaled me to take a seat as well.

…damn. She was going to let me have it too.

"Now then," My mom started as soon as we were all seated. Natsume sat straight across from my mom while I took the chair on Natsume's left. "Tell me a bit about yourself." She fitted in a smile, "You recently moved into town, correct?"

Natsume answered, "Two months."

"…Wow~" My mom nodded to his reply, "That's pretty impressive." Her random appraisal made me glance at Natsume.

What did she mean by impressive?

Natsume returned the glance before looking back at my mom.

"Well… I mean," She sat up with a hint of perk in her expression, "If you think about it, it took you two months to win over my daughters affection." My mom's words made me look away embarrassed.

She can't be serious… how could Natsume reply to that?

"I won't question it." Natsume shockingly answered.

I smiled for his answer while my mom took that as a sign to continue, "That's good." She admitted. "I like that answer and I like how serious you are."

I rolled my eyes and put my head down on my folded arms, "Come on mom, what is it you want to know?" I sighed a bit frustrated.

She was making it seem like she was sharking around us. She was technically nibbling on bits of our flesh.

My mom raised a hand up in return, "Mikan, don't rush me. Can't you see I'm trying to get to know your first boyfriend?" She switched her attention back to Natsume, "Now then… let's hear a little bit about you Natsume."

I kept my head down but even I couldn't resist looking in his direction. I was curious to hear about Natsume's life. He hasn't really told me much about himself now that I thought about it. Like the only thing that ever slipped out was the thing about him not having parents, but even so, he didn't let me ask questions.

"Natsume?" My mom spoke up noticing his silence, "Are you going to answer my question?"

Another few seconds went by before Natsume finally decided to answer.

"No."

"No?" My mom sat back a little surprised, "And why is that?"

"Because I refuse to answer." He sighed sitting back as well.

Natsume was really starting to bump heads with my mom.

Why didn't he just answer her question? It would have been a lot easier and besides my mom didn't like it whenever someone denied her answers.

"Okay…" My mom suddenly switched her attention to me, "Well then what about you Mikan? What can you tell me about Natsume? I'm pretty sure you can answer on his behalf right?"

I lifted my head and watched as Natsume's eyes searched mine. I could tell he was wondering what I could possibly say.

"Uhmm I can say…" The first thought came out. "Natsume is a really serious person." _It's shocking to see him smile or even laugh_. "He's super dedicated to his work, and he's really good at school." I awkwardly fumbled with my fingers avoiding Natsume's attention. I knew he was staring. "Natsume's also really good at sports," My mind recalled back to the time I first saw him run. "Like… he's super-fast at running and if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have won the homecoming game." What else what else what else… "Oh and he loves his little brother! He might be really serious or it might be hard to talk to him at times, but… whenever he's with Youichi he shows this really sweet and gentle side of him." I was beginning to feel myself blush, "…even though he doesn't want people to get to know him. I'm glad I did. He's special-"… _to me._ I couldn't go on from there.

I bit my lip nervously wondering what Natsume thought about what I said.

Did he dislike me answering the question he said no to?

I bravely mustered up the courage to meet his eyes and couldn't believe what I saw.

For the very first time EVER I saw Natsume blush. The hint of red on his cheeks was barely noticeable but it was definitely there.

He liked what I said!

His eyes briefly met mine before he turned away. Yup, he was definitely blushing.

A smile crept up on my lips just as my mom cleared her throat getting both our attention.

For a moment there, I had forgotten she was still sitting at the other end of the table.

"What am I going to do with the both of you tonight? It's obvious I have to keep you two apart for the night." My mom stood up from the table just as the kettle began to blow steam. "No offense to you Natsume, but I can't trust you yet." She spared a quick glance at him, "Mikan's staying in my room for the night." She rolled her eyes in my direction. "I don't trust you either."

I gawked at her statement, "Geez mom how can you think that?" This was totally embarrassing.

"Yeah, yeah," My mom waved me off, "Well whatever the case is; I meant what I said." She picked up her mug and blew on the steam as she returned to the table with her freshly made coffee. "Now as for you Natsume; I can't blame you for the situation that happened on Mikan's birthday. I won't hold that against you." She paused as she took a small sip from her coffee, "Personally, I think you did the right thing and defended yourself when it came to the fight that night. It was a self-defense act but who knows how your school analyzes it. And who knows if you'll get suspended or whatever," she shrugged, "All I can say is that Narumi is going to speak up on your behalf since he was the one that witnessed it from the beginning."

Her last words caught my attention, "Wait- Narumi was there since before the fight broke out?" I thought he had shown up at the end to break up the fight.

"Yeah, he was there," Natsume answered my question, "He was the one who told me to find you."

No wonder he was really mad when I got lectured that night, "So it'll be Narumi's word against the others?"

My mom nodded, "That's right. But we won't know for sure until you two return to school." She leaned back and crossed her arms before eyeing us suspiciously, "On another note, I can't approve of the way you influenced Mikan to run away the night of Christmas Eve."

"Mom," I cut her off, "We've talked about this before. I told you it wasn't him. It was me who asked him out that night and I got in trouble for it remember?" Why did she have to bring this topic back up again? I got grounded for that night and I'm even more grounded now.

I can fully admit we all get the picture here.

"Mikan, you have been getting in trouble the moment you met Natsume Hyuuga." That statement felt like she had just thrown the first dagger at Natsume.

Her eyes said it all.

I glanced at Natsume who kept quiet and held her stare.

My mom continued, "I grounded you for hitting some guy at school with your car. I still can't finish stressing about being a careful driver. To look before you go in reverse and to check your blind spots. You always ALWAYS have to check."

"I know, I know mom." I gave her the same answer as usual whenever it came to this topic.

"That wasn't it either," My mom carried on, "shortly after I had to ground you even more after finding you in the middle of a cross-fire in a dangerous neighborhood." She switched her attention to Hyuuga, "I believe that was the first time we met, right Natsume?"

"Yeah," Natsume answered with the hint of a smirk on his lips. "I remember that."

"So then we both agree then?" My mom sipped on her coffee, "You've been involved since then right?"

"I won't deny it." He admitted.

Natsume wasn't helping- at all! Everything my mom just mentioned were all facts against him.

My mom unexpectedly glanced at her wrist watch and stood up. "Thank you for being straightforward about it. I think that's one of the reasons why you won over Narumi's approval." She stopped at the kitchen entrance with her mug in one hand, "But you don't have my approval. You have to give me something positive to talk about and more importantly you have to keep my Mikan out of trouble. Start from there." She left in the direction of the stairs.

As soon as we couldn't see her I felt myself relax in my chair, but suddenly tensed up again.

"Mikan, up in my room in ten." She called out from the top of the stairs.

"…Geez…" I breathed out a long sigh, "Sorry about all that."

"Don't apologize. It was bound to happen."

"But my mom doesn't… approve of us." I had to rephrase my choice of words.

Natsume knew what I was trying to hide, "Yeah, I know she doesn't like me."

"That's… not all true." It sounded like I was trying to convince myself.

"She'll hate me more if you stall anymore."

"But what about you- what are you going to do?"

Natsume shrugged, "I'll get Youichi to bed and probably stay up. Can't really say I'm tired enough to sleep after being out for three days straight."

That's true…

We both stood up and headed for the living room to find Youichi fast asleep on one of the couches.

"I should probably say goodnight then…" I stopped at the bottom step of the stairs expecting Natsume to follow me, but instead he was over by Youichi.

"I'm going to get him to bed." He gently moved Youichi into his arms and carried him away. "Night."

Uhmm… okay, "Good night." I felt a little disappointed that he brushed me off that easily, but I guess it was better.

He didn't want me to stall anymore, right? That must have been it.

* * *

_3:14 AM_

As much as I tossed and turned, I tried forcing myself to sleep. It was such an impossible thing to do now that I knew Natsume was up and awake in my house.

I wondered about the possible things he could be doing like… could he be watching TV, or walking around trying to kill time? Maybe he might have even fallen asleep?

All this pointless mind rambling wasn't getting me anywhere. I won't know unless…

I glanced at my mom's sleeping figure and noticed how sound asleep she was. She was so out it, it made me feel bad.

Sorry mom…

With the least bit of unwanted movement, I edged myself over to the end of the bed.

She didn't wake up as expected, so I slowly tip-toed my way to the door and entered the hallway before closing her door behind me.

The hallway lights were all turned off except for the usual bathroom light. That light was always left on for some reason.

My room was right across the bathroom so its light was like my nightlight. And just around the corner was the staircase.

By the time I was at the top of the stairs, I noticed how the light from the TV was flickering down stairs.

Wow, Hyuuga wasn't kidding when he said he was going to be staying up all night.

I reached the bottom step to surprisingly find the living room empty.

I glanced around thinking he might have gone somewhere else. Could he be in the guest room? I'm thinking he might.

I began heading in the direction of the room but stopped and turned back when I heard something moving in the direction of the kitchen. It almost sounded like a page moved or something to do with a piece of paper.

The lights were left on in the kitchen too.

"You shouldn't be down here," Natsume warned me just as I stopped at the kitchen entrance. He had a small pile of Narumi's books on the table while reading through one of them.

"I couldn't sleep." I admitted.

My answer earned me a quick glance from him, "That's your problem."

… "I know that." I slumped my shoulders. I couldn't really tell him the truth about my lack of sleep. "I just can't sleep is all."

"You're obviously going to make this my problem too aren't you?" Hyuuga closed the text book he was holding.

Well…? "Uhmm what have you been doing?" I walked over and took a seat at the table. "Have you been reading this whole time?"

"… Yeah."

I stared at him in disbelief, "You're joking right?" I muffled a giggle.

"No." He answered with such a serious and annoyed look it made me feel uncomfortable.

"I'm bugging you aren't I?"

He crossed his arms, "What gives you that idea?" His voice totally answered my question.

"I'm thinking I should try harder to fall asleep huh?" I began to stand but Hyuuga stood up as well.

"Before you go, do you have my jacket?"

I blinked twice realizing what he just asked. Now that I thought about it, I haven't moved it out of my room since the night of my birthday. "Oh umm let me go get it for you. I have it in my room."

I quickly left the kitchen and ran up the stairs to find the jacket in my room. I grabbed it off the back of my desk chair and ran back down the stairs, "Here it is. Sorry I forgot to give it back earlier. It wasn't with your things so I forgot about it." I reached the bottom step to see Hyuuga waiting around the base.

I held it out for him to grab, "Thanks for letting me borrow it. I didn't get to thank you back then."

He grabbed it and began going through the inside pockets. It almost looked like he was searching for something. "Did you forget something?" I tried to help but he only shook his head.

Natsume pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief and unexpectedly held it out to me.

"What is it?" I slowly reached for the small piece of cloth.

I couldn't really see what color it was or what its exact purpose was since there wasn't any light other than the television in the back.

"I didn't get the chance to give it to you on your birthday." His words made my heart speed up realizing he had gotten me a present.

"You- you got me something?" I began unfolding the handkerchief and felt something slide from within the folds.

I let the small object fall into my open hand and realized it was some form of a necklace.

I couldn't tell what it was yet so I held it out in the direction of the TV. "… A strawberry?" I blushed as I saw the charm on the necklace. "How did you-"

"Don't ask," he cut me off, "It only made sense so I bought it."

If anything, that must have meant he liked it. That's why he bought it. "Thank you, it's really cute." I smiled down at my hands while I tried working on the clasp to put it on.

I managed to undo the seal but I wasn't able to put it on myself.

Natsume had to help me out in the end as I held my hair out of the way.

"Did you get it?" I asked over my shoulder just as I felt the necklace fall on my chest.

"Yeah, it's on."

"Thank you again." This was really exciting. I knew I wanted to jump around and skip in joy but I knew I had to contain myself. Oh my God, "What about you?"

He eyed me curiously, "What about me?"

The thought immediately jumped me, Oh I know! "(Wait here.)" I whispered before running up the stairs again and entering my room.

I quickly retrieved the certain object I had in mind and left my room to find Natsume at the bottom of the stairs, "Here, I want to give you this."

"You don't have to-" He began to decline but I couldn't stand getting my present rejected.

""But I want you to have it. Uhmm accept it as a late birthday present from me." I tried convincing him that way.

Just as he reached out to accept it he questioned my last statement, "You know about that?"

I nodded as I let my own necklace fall in his hand, "Yeah, it was that day we first…" My voice trailed off, "Well uhmm it was your birthday the twenty-ninth of November right?"

He took a few seconds to agree, "… yeah, how'd you find out?"

"Uhmm I found out from Ruka. He told me it was your birthday that night." I knew it could possibly be a bad idea if I mentioned Ruka's name at the moment, but I couldn't lie to him. I wanted to be honest.

"I told the team after the game." Hyuuga added.

I nervously looked around, "Well… uhh happy late birthday to you too." I smiled at him as he held up the necklace I had placed in his hands.

"It's an 'M'…" He raised a brow at me, "You want me to wear your 'M'?"

"It's not just an 'M'," I huffed, "It's more of a lucky charm."

"…It's still an 'M'." He insisted.

"Well it's a lucky 'M' and now it's yours because I'm giving it to you."

"Guess I have no choice but to take your word for it." He undid the clasp and easily sealed it behind his neck. "Thanks."

"And you're welcome." I smiled expecting a hug or something, but instead Hyuuga turned to leave for the guest room. "Good night?" I called out to his retreating back, which caused him to stop.

"Night." He replied, "Go to sleep." And just like that he left in the direction of the guest room just as he turned off the TV.

I left up the stairs just as I brought up the strawberry charm up to my lips and kissed it. "(Good night.)" Natsume…

* * *

**Chapter 10 complete**

**I know I left a few things unanswered but I guess that's kind of the point of having an ongoing story. Tell me what you guys think! We have to wait and see what's going to happen at school and Serina's involvement. Narumi's also getting curious, is that a good thing or a bad thing?**

**Please review, PM, or fav! It motivates me to keep writing**

**Thankyou for reading and see you all in the next chapter :D**

**Oh yeah almost forgot! I'm on twitter now. Be sure to follow and I'll be posting progress about my fanfiction stuff. Which also reminds me I have to get moving on FRTF lol but yeah twitter I'm under the same screen name: n9neSTAR **

**Thankyou!**


	11. Suspensions

**Author's note: Finally back with a new chapter to MDBIC! It took a while to get it done, but managed to complete it days before I go back to Uni (As much as I hate school right now...) at least I got three weeks of holidays to get some time to work on a few things. **

**Anyways, THANKS everyone for the awesome reviews! It really helps when people motivate me to keep working! Glad to have such awesome people reading! So of course I set up another 13K chapter for you guys :)**

**Hope you guys enjoy and this chapter is all in Natsume's POV (love it) **

**ENJOY XD **

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_Monday…_

"Mr. Hyuuga did you inform a parent or guardian about our meeting today?" The principal asked in my direction since I was the only one in the conference room without a guardian.

Apparently my guardian not showing up was keeping this meeting from starting. "No." I admitted. If they couldn't find a number to get a hold of him, WHAT the hell made them think I was going to do any better? I've only met the guy once, and that was basically it- but obviously they didn't know that.

Other than me, everyone else had their parents sitting next to them. Sakura obviously had both her parents present. Nogi had his hot mom and the other two guys I had fought had their parents too. We all sat around a long stretched out table in a private room with the principal at the end along with two other office workers.

"Well then…" The principal fixed his glasses up and looked down at the documents in his hands. We all presumed to be the police reports. "I'm left with no choice but to start this meeting without-" He was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

The office worker closest to the door waited to get the approval from the principal before heading for the door. He opened the door revealing one of the office ladies. She whispered something to the guy which he then had to pass down the message to the principal's ear.

"Alright let him in." The principal glanced in my direction, "He made it just in time."

I noticed how everyone turned to look in my direction thanks to the principal's glance. What- did they expect me to say something back? I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair just as another person stepped into the room.

"My apologies," The guy gave a slight bow, "My name is Izumi Rei. I'm Natsume Hyuuga's legal guardian."

What the hell? "What?" I accidentally questioned his statement out loud.

I wasn't the only one surprised either. Mikan and her parents were also shocked to see this Izumi guy.

Who the hell was this guy? I've never met an Izumi Rei before.

"Well Mr. Izumi, you may join Mr. Hyuuga. Please take a seat so we can finally start this conference." The principal signaled him in my direction.

I watched as the guy walked around the end of the table and over to my side.

As he got closer, the more familiar he seemed. This guy was young; maybe late twenties early thirties. He was slim and about six feet tall. He also had long black hair that just about touched his collar area and his eyes were a heavy black color. This guy seemed like a ghost or something. Like his skin was questionably pale white and all the black he was wearing didn't help his appearance. He looked like a guy that never fuckin' got over his emo-getup phase.

This asshole was no Izumi Rei, I wouldn't be able to say if that was his real name or not. All I knew was, to call him PERSONA.

He sat down in the empty chair on my left and returned the same glare I had been watching him with.

He knew he wasn't fooling me, his presence was questionable.

Persona crossed his arms and sat up in the same manner I had.

I glanced away to notice Sakura and her parents staring at me. They were probably confused about me having a sudden guardian appear. They didn't have to say a word for me to guess some of their curiosity.

All I knew for now was that they'd throw questions at me later.

I faced forward next to notice Nogi glaring at Persona for some reason.

Nogi was still sporting a busted lip and a bruised cheekbone from that fight I still couldn't remember, but oh well… my ass was still getting in trouble for it either way.

I suddenly noticed how Persona and Nogi's mom exchanged smiles and even a wink.

-the fuck?

Wow, is that what's pissing Nogi off? I slowly shook my head at Persona as he turned his attention to me and shrugged. What a fuckin' prick.

"Now then," the principal cleared his throat getting our attention, "Let's begin."

* * *

The conference had turned to shit about an hour in.

Nogi's mom ended up bitching at Narumi for backing me up. She said something about it not being fair that an officer would talk on a student's behalf. She also threw out my relationship with Mikan as a way to render Narumi's statement faulty.

Her pissed off self along with the other parents confronted me about breaking Mochiage's right leg, which Persona easily found their accusation useless.

As much as I hated to admit it, this guy knew his shit. He seriously surprised all of us- even the principal and Narumi were at a loss for words because of the way he handled it. It really made us wonder what kind of profession he had.

Nogi and the two other guys had no choice but to admit they attacked me in order to bargain for a better deal.

Apparently they agreed in order to avoid this whole mess going into their school transcripts and records.

In the end, they were given a two week suspension, except Nogi. Instead he was given sixty hours of community service plus the two week suspension. The whole thing about the party being at his place caught up to him in the end.

Now Mikan was the only one that didn't get it so bad. She only got a week of after school detention. The reason was because she happened to be the birthday girl that day.

Stupid right?

And as for me… I got deemed with one week of In School Suspension. I wasn't allowed to attend club activities AND for the next month I had to tutor math until five. It was either tutor a group or go to anger management counseling.

What a fucked up way to end this, but at least Persona got me and Nogi out of the whole counseling crap, since this wasn't the first time Nogi and I had trouble.

The meeting ended shortly after all the sentencing and everyone stood up to leave.

"Mr. Izumi Rei," Mikan reached out to Persona with full blown curiosity, "Nice to meet you. I'm Mikan Sakura." She held out her right hand out to greet him.

He quietly watched her for a few seconds before reaching out with his leather gloved hand and accepting the hand shake, "…Mikan Sakura?" His voice came out sounding like a question. It strangely felt like he was surprised to hear her full name. "Now what do I owe the pleasure of meeting such a cute sweetheart like yourself?"

It pissed me off seeing her shy away from his complement. "She's my girlfriend back off." I answered for her.

"Oh she's you're girlfriend?" He shot a quick smirk in my direction before masking it back into a fake smile, "Isn't that… nice."

"Yeah…" I wasn't buying his two-faced act.

"Mr. Izumi Rei?" This time it was Sakura's mom that stepped in, "You're Natsume's legal guardian, correct?"

"Yes, he's my adopted son." He answered.

I seriously scoffed the moment the word 'son' left his mouth. "(Bullshit…)" I whispered loud enough for him to hear me as I walked past them.

I wasn't going to stand there and listen to another second of this. I walked out of the room and left the office just in time to hear Narumi call after me.

"Hyuuga," He stopped me a few steps ahead of him, "That guy, is he really your guardian?"

I looked over my shoulder and shrugged, "You heard him back there."

"Yeah, I heard all the bullshit." He answered as he caught up to me, "I'm asking you."

We started walking towards the front of the school, "Legally yes, but personally no. This is the second time I've met him." I admitted.

Narumi nodded, "That made more sense." He understood without pushing the subject any further. "The guy is a complete stranger to you, isn't he?"

"Yeah, and well who knows why he showed up all of a sudden?" I fuckin' had my doubts about Persona's sudden presence. Why the hell was he REALLY here? There had to be a better reason than him showing up to play the part.

"Well you got things to figure out, and apparently I do too, so about that school nurse of yours… know where I can find her?" Narumi asked causing both of us to stop walking.

"Obviously you didn't find her on campus," I crossed my arms, "I went in first thing today looking for her, but she took a paid leave." No fuckin' shocker there; of course she wasn't going to be here after everything that happened.

"So you're also looking for her?" Narumi looked over his shoulder to see his wife, Mikan, and 'my guardian' step out of the office. He made it seem like it was something he was hiding.

"Yeah," I continued walking to keep the distance between us and the other three.

Narumi let out a sigh, "Guess my questions will have to wait."

By the time Narumi and I had reached the school's front lobby, Mikan had already caught up to us so we couldn't talk anymore. It even got more awkward once Persona and Mikan's mom joined us too.

It made me sick seeing Persona trying to act the part. All his lies were seriously being swallowed up by Mikan and her mom. They were acting like they were anxious to know anything about me…

I walked away again getting annoyed.

I headed down the parking lot with Persona shortly following after me.

"Get in the car, I'll give you a ride." He suddenly called out to me as we stopped behind a few cars, "I'll take you home."

Fuck that, "I'd rather walk." He can cut the whole bullshit act.

He clicked his tongue behind his teeth, "Allow me to rephrase myself then…" His voice trailed off just as I felt his right hand grip my left shoulder and turn me around to face him.

I shrugged my shoulder away out of reflex, "Don't touch-" I didn't get to finish my sentence as his right fist collided against the side of my face. His fist packed enough strength to stagger me sideways.

Damn this fucker had a mad punch; either that or I haven't received a good punch in a while. The pain swelled in my cheek's muscle by the second.

I slowly turned to face him as the immediate taste of blood swirled within my mouth. "Yeah, let me rephrase myself too," I spoke while covering the left side of my face, "Fuck no-" He cut me off with another swift fist to the face; this time hitting my right side. The punch staggered me in the opposite direction and it hurt even more than the first.

I instantly felt the nastiest pressure swell within my nose just as blood spurred out of it.

"Did that hurt you?" He leaned down to my eye level since I was hunched over letting the blood fall onto the graveled concrete.

"Are you… fucking kidding me?" I spat out the blood tasting saliva mix from within my mouth.

"Then you're ready to go, right?" He smiled at me as he held out his handkerchief to me. "You know, it might be best if we get you home soon so we can put some ice on those." He knew I wasn't going to accept his offer, so he roughly pinched the piece of cloth over my nose and forced my hand to grab ahold of it. "You really don't want to show up to school tomorrow with a swollen face now, do ya?" He began guiding me to his car.

I had my eyes closed the whole time thinking it would help ease the pulsating pain in my nose. The pain was driving a hammer through my sinuses; it kept me unfocused.

It didn't take Persona much to get me in his car.

I squinted my eyes open just as I felt the car shift in reverse to catch Nogi staring wide eyed at me. He sat alone in the car parked next to us with such a readable expression.

There was no way of denying it; the shocked look on his face said it all.

He saw. He saw it all.

His eyes didn't leave mine until we drove around and out of sight.

Persona didn't say anything until we were a few blocks down the road.

"I wouldn't let it get to you." Persona strangely caught on to my concern, "If anything, he's probably fucking overjoyed about it."

I rolled my eyes at his stupid remark and sat back with my face looking up. I was more worried about the taste in my mouth than anything else. The blood flow had finally reached the point that it was seeping through the handkerchief. It was sick but I had no choice but to resort to letting the blood slide through the back of my throat. God, the taste felt disgusting. Every gulp felt less and less bearable. It felt like I was drowning.

Thankfully the car came to a stop seconds later and I was able to get out just in time I felt the first urge to gag.

I stumbled out of the car with blood stained hands covering my nose and mouth.

I immediately noticed how the random people walking around stared at me with the upmost disturbance. My sight wasn't pretty, apparently. The fuck did they expect…?

The blood had found its way through my fingers and down my knuckles.

I ran up the snow covered steps to my apartment building and focused on getting home instead.

By the time I had climbed the last set of stairs up to the fourth floor I had already resisted another two gags. Just as I neared my room number I searched my jean's pockets with blood stained fingers to get my room key out.

As soon as I entered my room I didn't have to think twice as the next urge to vomit sprung up in my throat.

I ran the last few steps to the bathroom just in time as my stomach heaved out all the blood packed bile into the toilet. For a second there, I almost forgot how shitty it felt to vomit. I didn't expect to find myself throwing up this soon already. I thought I had seen the end of it the moment those damn pills ran out. This flat out fuckin' sucked.

My body wasn't happy until it expelled every bloody trace left in my stomach. After everything my nose continued bleeding and my mouth still tasted like blood.

I flushed the bloody bile and switched over to the sink to rinse out the sources.

It took a few minutes to get my nosebleed under control- like it got fuckin' red as hell but it stopped bleeding eventually. The same happened with the cut in my mouth- swollen, but still got it cleaned up. I had a wide gash in my left gum but that wasn't going to heal in minutes; that would probably take a few days.

Ironically I looked on the bright side; surprisingly my face wasn't showing any signs of serious damage.

The only trace of getting hit was left on my left cheek. Apparently Persona managed to chip a piece of flesh off my cheek thanks to the many fuckin' rings he had on. It did bleed too but it wasn't anything a small band-aid couldn't handle.

I left the bathroom after cleaning up and entered the living room to see an ice pack tossed my way.

"Put that on your face," I made no attempt on catching it so I basically stood there and watched it slide across the floor. Persona on the other hand, was standing in my kitchen looking through the fridge. "It should stop the swelling."

I rolled my eyes at his shitty sign of concern- Oh Yeah- thanks motherfucker for the ice. I'll make sure to place it on the fucked up bruises you gave me. I picked up the thick patch of ice from the floor before heading to the living room couch.

I sat down on the couch and bit back from saying anything instead.

I stayed quiet as Persona continued taking something out of the fridge. He was taking a while so I focused my attention on the floor.

"I take it you're pissed about it." He unexpectedly sat down on the coffee table in front of me and reached out to grab my face. "Look at me." He sternly grabbed my chin causing me to flinch from the sudden contact. "Hold still while I put this on your face."

He had this randomly mixed up concoction in a bowl that I didn't bother asking what it was.

"Well since you're not going to talk, I might as well tell you that this ALL could have been avoided if you would have just listened in the first place. You did this to yourself." He admitted purposely trying to get a rise out of me.

I bit back all of my words and clenched my teeth instead.

I focused away to suddenly feel something really cold on my right cheek. "Relax," He felt my body tense, "It's only chilled Icy Hot cream. You gotta constrict the blood flow with something cold in order to stop the swelling first."

I averted my eyes. Why the hell was he making my situation into a conversation? I knew how the whole physiology of taking a punch to the face. It was far from being the first time experiencing this.

My silence didn't faze him either, He continued talking about whatever he wanted until he got quiet.

A few minutes went by as we finally switched sides. I lifted the ice pack off my cheek with the intention of placing it on my right side but… as odd as I found it to be, the ice pack was nothing but liquid now.

…That's… weird…

I bounced the liquid pocket on my open palm trying to understand why it wasn't solid anymore. It wasn't even cold either.

"Did it melt already?" Persona noticed my curiosity.

"Uh… yeah." I didn't think it would melt this fast. I tossed the liquidated ice pack on to the coffee table as Persona let out a small chuckle in return.

I couldn't help glance at him for suddenly laughing. He caught onto my curiosity as he handed me the bowl instead, "Here, hold this." He strangely stood up and began heading for the door. "Gotta take this…" He pulled his phone out and waved it over his head. And just like that, he stepped out.

I stared at the closed door a few seconds before looking down at the bowl in my hands. What is this? I was about to dip my hand in when all of a sudden I began feeling the tips of my fingers grow warm.

I placed the bowl down on the coffee table and began running my thumbs over my finger pads. "(What's going on?)" I began inspecting my hands up close when the door swung open.

I dropped my hands and looked away.

I didn't see when Persona walked over and held out something for me to grab.

"Take it." I glanced at his extended hand holding a thin smart phone.

"Why should I?" I crossed my arms.

His eyes narrowed, "I'll be in town for a while, so keep it on you." He didn't wait for me to grab it since he tossed it at my lap, "And you better answer unless you want me to come find you."

I uncrossed my arms and grabbed the phone before tossing it next to me on the couch, "Whatever."

"I'll check up on you when I get the chance." He turned to leave.

I didn't say anything back as he left. I just wanted him out as soon as possible so I could figure out the sensation on my hands.

As soon as the door closed, I stood up and picked up the mess from the coffee table and took it to the sink. I dropped the bowl and everything under running water while I began to feel the tips of my fingers cool down.

"That was..." I stuck my hands under the running water and felt my hands completely cool off, "strange…" It was like it was never there to begin with.

Now how do I talk myself out of believing this one?

* * *

_I wished the feeling in my hands was something I could explain to myself. That it was something that happened after I touched something… but it wasn't. That burning sensation would always focus on my fingertips. It was like I was purposely dipping my hands in chili on a daily basis. It would randomly happen too. Some days it would happen and on other days it would skip out. It would happen once, two, or even three times, as long as it wanted. That was until I began using the snow as a good temporary aide. I could seriously hold my hands in the snow and not feel a damn thing; it would seriously melt first before I even felt a single thing. _

_All of that drove me to think; If I could melt ice with my hands, then my hands are obviously too hot for touch. I made it a habit to wear gloves whenever I was around people, especially at school. _

_Now that school was back in session and the whole 'ISS' crap I was given started, it kept me exposed to a few people a day. I was seriously placed in the same classroom ALL DAAAMN DAY with the same THREE PEOPLE. I got stuck with Andou Tsubasa; the weird guy with the star print tattoo on his cheek. I remember him bugging me around Sakura's birthday party. We also got his girlfriend in here; Misaki Harada; tall red head with a messed up attitude. She's the head cheerleader or some crap like that. They both got thrown in here for getting caught drunk at Nogi's place. And the last person here who found it fun sitting at the front of the class was Nobara Ibaragi. This bitc- I mean 'chick' happened to get caught for recording the whole night of the party and posting it online. She was forced to take down the videos and had to even hand them over to the police. In the end she refused to turn in any of the videos that didn't contain the fight so she got thrown in here with us. _

_SO thanks to her, my ass won another week in ISS._

_Fuckin' ridiculous if you ask me._

_With me being stuck in ISS all day followed with after school tutoring, I wasn't allowed to leave campus until five. And that's without including club work. I wasn't allowed to attend my club's activities on campus, so I had no choice but to go off-campus. I had to meet up with Tobita and Imai at the public Library till eight every other day including weekends in order to catch up with the work._

_It was a good paying job, what else could I do?_

_But yeah, other than that, I didn't see most people. _

_Youichi was left with walking alone to his daycare and Sakura was left alone with all her friends mad at her._

_Imai filled me in about Mikan's standing point at school and it wasn't good. Apparently her two close friends began ditching her, and a few other chicks were giving her a hard time. I wanted to know more about it, but Imai didn't go into exact detail. _

_That if I wanted to know more to find Mikan instead. _

_I knew leaving Mikan to face all of that alone was wrong, but I didn't exactly have a choice either. _

_Being stuck in ISS had been more hell than I thought. It straight up sucked, but… could I have had it worse than Sakura?_

* * *

"(Pssst dude.)" I felt Andou pushing my left shoulder trying to wake me up. I had my head down the past hour or so 'trying' to fall asleep to kill time, but obviously Andou had other plans. No matter how much he poked or pushed my shoulder, I didn't want to give in.

"(Come on dude, wake up…)" He wasn't giving up. The more he did it the more it pissed me off.

Anymore of this and I'll-"What?" I hissed from behind clenched teeth without lifting my head up. Every time he did this it was over something stupid. It was either him trying to show me a lame doodle, or tell me something dumb.

He poked me again, "(Your girlfriend's here…)" His whisper trailed off immediately alarming me.

Me like an idiot lifted my head instantly thinking I'd see Mikan, but instead I heard a snicker from Andou and a giggle from his girlfriend.

"Awe look he does miss his girlfriend." She even bothered teasing me.

I ran my hands through my hair and sat up, "Damn, are you guys REALLY that bored?" They went to the extent of using Mikan's name to wake me up? Seriously...?

"Well, the teacher left," Andou pointed to the front of the class, "He said to stay here until the bell, but… I doubt that'll fuckin' happen." He smirked picking up his backpack.

"Really? You couldn't just say that to begin with?" I voiced out my complaint. He even whispered and shit trying to make it seem like the teacher was still here.

"Hey, don't bitch- it was funny." He laughed again with his girlfriend joining in.

Yeah, yeah fucking funny… since when did I become the center of attention between these two?

I guess after being stuck together for so long, someone had to talk to somebody in order to keep sane.

"Dude, let's get out of here and get something to eat?" Andou suddenly changed the subject as we all stood up to leave. "You don't have tutoring today, right?" He directed his question at me.

"No, not today but-"

"Fuck it then, let's go." Andou threw a loose arm over my shoulder and began guiding me to the door.

"You guys go on ahead," Harada suddenly called out from behind us.

"Why- what's up?" Andou looked back at his girlfriend for the sudden bail.

"I have to take care of something real quick." She suspiciously winked at Andou, "Wait for me at the front gate. I'll catch up like in five minutes." She quickly moved right by us and walked away.

Andou and I exchanged glances before looking over at the other remaining person in the class.

"What do we do about her?" Andou tilted his head in Ibaragi's direction, "You think she'll snitch?"

"She could, but…" I shrugged, "Who the fuck cares. We'll just sink the bitch with us if she opens her mouth."

My bitter words earned me a blank stare from Tsubasa, "Daing Hyuuga that's pretty harsh."

Yeah, well having being stuck here an extra week because of her doesn't really put her on my good side.

"Whatever." Was all I replied with before turning to leave down the rest of the classroom.

Andou quickly caught up to me by the door and began talking to me about the soccer try-outs coming up. It was a conversation I kinda faded in and out of without interest, so when I suddenly felt someone grab my right forearm without notice, it caught me by surprise.

"Nobara?" Andou was just as surprised as I was, "What are you doing here?"

Her little cold hands strangely gripped my arm tighter, "Uhmm… I want to go too…" She directed her answer at me.

This was the first time she bothered communicating with any of us, but what got me more curious was the way she was clinging to me. "I don't care-" I tried pulling my arm away from her, but it felt like she was really trying to hold on, "Let go." I had to roughly pull my arm away in order to get it out of her hold.

The hell was wrong with this chick?

"I won't- I won't tell…" She looked around nervously and strangely stepped behind me, "I won't tell if you let me go with you." She stared at me again like if I was the one to decide. This was Andou's plan not mine.

"I said I don't care." I repeated myself and walked away. Andou followed and so did Ibaragi until we reached the staircase.

"Alright meet at the front in five," Andou spoke leaving for the higher floor, "I just gotta get the rest of my shit from my locker and I'll meet you guys out."

I turned to leave down the staircase when Andou squeezed in a last message, "Hyuuga?" He called out from above us.

"What?" I continued down the stairs.

"You better not fucking bail, alright?"

Yeah, yeah, "I know already." He swore like I was going to ditch them again.

The first couple times I bailed on them thinking they weren't serious. They were random invites from people I didn't even know, so how could I take them serious, you know? Well anyways, this was the second time I've followed up, which it wouldn't make sense for me to bail now.

I stopped at my locker to collect the things I'll need for late night work with Imai and Tobita. I swapped a few things in and out of my backpack before finally pulling my jacket out and putting it on as I closed my locker.

I slammed my locker shut just in time to see Ibaragi standing right there- like RIGHT THERE. It even startled me from not noticing her. "Damn, what the hell are you doing?"

She fidgeted around a bit and even bothered to take another step closer, "Umm… you said I could go."

I raised a brow, "No… no I didn't. I said I don't care if you go or not." I fixed my backpack strap over my right shoulder and walked away thinking she would quit the whole 'close up' thing she was trying.

She was seriously pushing things though. She didn't quit it. The way she kept trying to grab my arm or follow close behind me all the way out; it was all too suspicious. Why was she doing this all of a sudden?

I had to keep shrugging her off until I met up with Andou at the front gate, "Can you- STOP!" I pulled my arm away again just as I stopped next to Andou, "She won't… stop- fucking clinging to me." I held an arm out to keep her away.

Andou on the other hand kinda just shook his head and chuckled, "So you got yourself a freshmen clinger?"

"I didn't get myself shit; I have a girlfriend." I moved my wrist away from her since she was trying to hold onto it.

"Well now that you mention it, here she comes." Andou smirked at me like the first time so I didn't believe it.

"What is it with you using 'the girlfriend' shit against me? I'm not stupid enough to believe it a second time."

My answer made Andou laugh even harder. "Dude, seriously…" He grabbed my shoulder and turned me in the direction of his girlfriend and…

"Mikan?"

My heart raced as I couldn't believe it was her. It was a strange warm feeling that rocked in my chest instantly. She had her pink hoodie on with a white beanie, and pearl wrap scarf; so I was skeptical at first. It was hard to tell from this far away.

It became completely obvious once she started running in my direction. "Natsume?" Her voice rang in my ears as I finally got to hear her. Damn the feeling in my chest only got stronger.

I dodged Ibaragi and shrugged my backpack off before welcoming Mikan's running figure into my arms.

To finally be able to hold her in my arms, feel her warmth, and smell her scent; God, I missed her.

"I missed you so much." Her voice came out shaky taking the words right out of my thoughts.

I pulled away slightly to see her tearing up, "Really, you're crying?" I couldn't help smirk from how cute she looked. "A week and a half apart and it's got you like this?" My words only got her tearing up more.

"Don't you feel the same?" She paused biting her lower lip and locking eyes with me, "Didn't you miss me?" Her grip on my jacket tightened even more.

"Uhmm…" For some reason I looked away nervous. The way she asked her question was just…

"Natsume?" My name left her lips.

Dammit, don't say my name like that. Now it felt like she was teasing me in every right way.

Why was simple stuff like this getting to me? And since when did I let it start happening? It was like everything she did was amazing to me. "I-"

"Guys…?" Andou called out to us, "Sorry to interrupt your little moment of reunion and stuff but… can we get going? It's cold standing around."

I looked back over my shoulder to see Andou shuffling his feet around and his girlfriend breathing warm air into her hands.

Damn, that's right… "I forgot about them." I looked back at Mikan to see her trying to force a smile.

"We should go." She began wiping her stray tears away.

"Yeah." I moved her hands away from her face and wiped the rest of her tears, "These better be tears of joy."

She instantly smiled at my words, "If you know they are why do you ask?"

"Because I didn't ask. I said they BETTER be."

She playfully gave me a light push, which I took as a chance to grab one of her hands and pulled her along.

We rejoined the group as Mikan waved a small hi at Andou and at Ibaragi. "Sorry for the wait."

"It's okay Mikan," Andou's girlfriend stepped forward to hand me my backpack, "You're boyfriend seemed pretty miserable the past couple days, so we thought it'd be nice to help out."

I couldn't help glare at her as I returned my backpack's strap over my shoulder, "Oh yeah, because spending full days with you guys are voluntary."

Harada simply giggled at my reaction, "See what I mean?"

"Whatever. Now where are we going?" I asked Andou who was pushing Ibaragi in front, "There's a burger joint a couple blocks away? We can walk there?"

Everyone agreed in their own way as we began following Andou off the school.

"So… Mikan?" Harada skipped over to her side, "Mind if I ask you how you two clicked?"

I raised a brow, "Harada, what are you doing?"

"What?" She shrugged coolly, "I'm curious to know how it happened. Come on, we got a while before we get to the restaurant, might as well share."

Instead of answering I looked at Mikan, "You don't have to tell her any-"

Mikan cut me off with a smile, "I don't mind."

I couldn't help narrow my eyes at her, "Are you serious? You're going to tell her?" Harada's a freakin' nosy person!

Harada instantly took that as a sign to step in between us, "Oooh~ now it's Mikan and Misaki time." She playfully hooked her arm around Mikan's and pushed me ahead, "You can have her back later so you can go with Tsubasa the rest of the way."

What the hell? "Why am I the one getting-"

"Bye Hyuuga. Girl time means no time for you."

Dammit, Harada. This would mean Ibaragi clinging to me again…

I had no choice but to catch up with Andou and Ibaragi in the front since I really didn't want to hear any part of their conversation.

"Welcome to the front line." Andou smirked at me, "I'm guessing Misaki stole your girlfriend and kicked you out?"

I gave him an annoyed glance, "Why the hell are you asking if you saw it happen?"

"Because it's funny," Yeah, well I'm not fuckin' laughing. "Relax man; you gotta give your girl some space too." He seriously mad it sound like I was smothering her or something. "It's not so bad over here, see?" He pointed at Ibaragi walking a few steps ahead of us, "As soon as Mikan showed up, she went quiet again."

"Good." I admitted, "I thought I was going to have to deal with her the rest of the way."

We walked a few steps in silence until Andou decided to talk, "So…" He caught me glancing back at Mikan and his girlfriend chatting at a distance.

"So… what?" I asked without looking at him.

"How DID it happen between you two?"

"You can't be serious?" I let a frustrated sigh, "Not you too."

"What?" Andou chuckled, "Can you blame me? I'm curious to know how you managed to steal the quarterback's girl."

Shit, "I didn't steal anyone." Was that what people were saying? That I stole Nogi's girl?

"Well then what happened?"

I decided to remain quiet; and it wasn't because I couldn't find a way to answer, but more like I couldn't understand why. I never expected any of this to happen. The way of Mikan growing in my life, was something new. It was my first time feeling so drawn to someone. "I guess I can say you can't plan these kinds of things…" I mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

"Ain't that the truth." Andou chuckled, "I can say the same thing about Misaki. I can flat out say that last year she freakin' hated my guts." He laughed. "The shit was- that last year I was new to this place; didn't know anyone… didn't care." He shrugged as he talked, "She met me at some kickback party playing beer pong. It was whatever, but she thought just because she was a chick I was gonna let her win. Well… I kicked her ass on beer pong, got her mad drunk, and made out with her just for the hell of it. Did she hate me for it? Hell yeah she did, but that didn't change the fact that I kicked her ass on something she hustled guys in." He paused and looked back making sure his girlfriend wasn't listening. "Well after that, she kept coming at me." He pounded his fist in his open hand, "She would make anything a challenge. It wasn't until recently that we started going out."

"How long was that ago?" I asked letting him know I was paying attention.

"Back around the beginning of October, I asked her out."

That was around the time I had showed up to this place.

"So I agree with you," He added, "You can't plan these things."

He continued sharing more about his past with me while Mikan and Harada kept giggling from behind us the rest of the way there. I didn't mind that Andou was doing all the talking, just… every time I heard them laughing; it felt like it was directed at me.

Andou had to stop me a couple times from turning back and heading their way.

After another few minutes of walking we finally stood outside of the fast food place. We had to wait for Mikan and Harada to catch up before going in.

"Alright so what are we getting?" Harada pulled Andou away to one of the lines while Mikan stood by next to me.

"Uhmm have you been here before?" She asked.

"No," I guided her over to another line, "Its fast food. Just pick a number and go." Come on, she should know this by now.

"Hmmm… then what should I get?" She concentrated looking at the overhead menu.

It took her a few minutes to make up her mind; we even had to let a few people ahead before finally ordering.

She grabbed our drinks while I finished paying and followed her to Andou and Harada's table. They had picked a booth so we dropped our bags on the side and slid into the unoccupied side while we waited for our food to arrive.

"So where's your clinger?" Andou sat up straight glancing around the place. "I could have sworn I saw her go in before us."

"Then just let it go." I answered. Better for me if she stays away.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Mikan looked at me for an answer.

Dammit Andou… Now thanks to you I had to explain it to my girlfriend. "He means Nobara Ibaragi." I sighed, "She was following me around."

"Oh Nobara?" Mikan unexpectedly smiled, "She does that sometimes."

Oh so just because it's this Nobara person or whatever, it's okay for her to cling to whomever she wants? "That's no excuse." I followed up, "I don't care what her habits are." I don't want her clinging to me.

"Hyuuga doesn't like people much." Harada smiled.

"I'll say." Andou agreed. "You should have seen Sakura, like it seriously took us a couple of tries before he started talking to us."

"I know the feeling." Mikan surprisingly smiled. "He told me flat out in the middle of class to stop bugging him. I'm pretty sure you guys heard about that."

I couldn't help look away annoyed, "I'm still here you know." They were seriously making it sound like I wasn't here.

"Well even after all that pushing away, you guys ended up together." Harada playfully punched Andou on the shoulder, "Isn't that right?"

Andou nodded, "Yeah, and I guess what I said early doesn't really apply. The whole- you know- stealing Ruka's girl."

And there he goes bringing that shit up again, "I told you I didn't steal anyone away." I sighed sparing a quick glance at Mikan to surprisingly notice a firm smile on her lips. "It was our choice, no one else's."

"Not everyone else sees it the way we do," Mikan added, "but oh well…" She shrugged, "You know- It's not something we need approval from, right?"

I nodded and turned away. Shit that reminded me… that talk with her mom didn't win her over. We're yet to get an approval from her.

"Oh!" Harada sat up and looked at Mikan intently, "How's everyone treating you about the whole party mix-up thing? Like have they been mad at you?" Harada's question made Mikan's smile tremble.

The way her smile faltered gave me a deep negative feeling of concern.

"Uhmm it's getting better…" Mikan answered drifting her view to her lap.

I raised a brow, "How so?" I wanted details out of her. I wanted to hear about the part Imai had warned me about; the whole thing about her friends ditching her and about the chicks giving her a hard time. I wanted to hear it out of her mouth.

She glanced at all of us before getting ready to talk, "… well like you know… people were mad about the whole fight and all. And they kinda messed with me a bit, but it wasn't anything crazy." She tried making it sound like it wasn't anything big, but knowing her, she would probably bottle it all up to herself. It didn't take long for Andou and Harada to catch on. Nobody wanted to ask Mikan anything further about the matter. Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves as the conversation died out.

A few minutes went by and even the food got here.

"So then…" Mikan tried breaking the awkward silence while we prepared our food, "How's the tutoring class?"

I gave her a suspicious glance for her trying to change the subject, but I figured I might as well go with it, "Boring. They gave me about twenty students to deal with until mid-terms next month."

"And is it hard teaching them? Like… you know the whole standing in front of the class and talking?"

I tried not to laugh, "As if I'd do all the work." They're the ones that need the help. "I just explain the parts they need help with and set them up with similar problems."

"But what about testing them? Have you seen any progress?"

I couldn't help smirk at her dedicated attempts to keep the conversation going. She was really trying to keep me distracted, "Alright…? I quizzed them last Friday and saw progress." What else could I expect?

"That's good." She smiled quietly to herself and began eating. For a second there I almost told her to stop talking and try eating. She was the only that hadn't touched their food yet.

Andou and Harada had been eating this whole time so they would probably have to wait for us.

Andou finished first followed by Harada minutes later. I finished next and Mikan decided not to finish her food. She said something about not having that big of an appetite and that she was too full or something.

I didn't buy it, I thought she was just making up any excuses because of the conversation we had before. I bet that was what killed her mood.

"So… where to next guys?" Andou stood up from the booth stretching his arms out. "Anyone got anywhere to be soon?"

I shook my head since I didn't have anything till late at night. Harada also didn't have anything planned, and Mikan checked her watch.

"I can go, just… Narumi picks me up at four so that gives me a little over an hour before I have to go back to school." She explained.

"What happened to your car?" Harada quickly asked while throwing away the trash.

"Oh uhmm…" Mikan gave a faint smile, "I got it taken away because of all the trouble I got into. My parents took my car keys and phone away, so that's why I'm wearing this watch." She raised her wrist up to show us her pink flowered watch. "This is the closest thing to a device I'm allowed to touch."

"Aw that sucks." Andou followed after his girlfriend while I finished throwing away the rest of the trash.

We all grabbed our backpacks and continued to exit the fast food place except for Ibaragi. Who knew how long ago she left before us, but the fact that she wasn't there was true.

"Any ideas?" Harada zipped up her jacket and took out her gloves, "We can find a place to hang out before Mikan has to go back?"

"Yeah, we can do that." Andou was first to agree, but Mikan was first to start walking in the direction of the school.

"There's a park not too far away from here and it's on the way to school?" She offered, "We can go there?"

"Oh yeah!" Harada strangely caught up to Mikan and excitedly turned around to talk to us, "There's an open basketball court there! We can see if they have an open ball to play a round. What do we say?"

I glanced over at Andou to see him shrug, "It's the competition thing I told ya about."

"Yeah." The things he told me about earlier explained her sudden enthusiasm. "What makes you so sure there's going to be a ball there?"

"Eh, I don't but I'm hoping there is." Harada simply brushed off my statement and joined Mikan in the front.

The chicks began having their little conversation so Mikan and Harada led the front while Andou and I followed at a distance.

"Looks like it's me and you again kid." Andou breathed warm air into his hands while I couldn't help give him a 'what the hell' glance.

Kid? "Fucker, we're the same age." I reminded him.

He actually blinked twice a little surprised about it, "Wait- what?" He stared at me, "How old are you? I'm eighteen. You can't be my age. You're a sophomore and you're-"

"Seventeen." I cut his rant short, "My fucking bad. I thought you were my age."

"Damn dude, that's still old for being a sophomore." He added.

"Whatever." Was all I ended up saying. It wasn't like I was going to map out my whole life in front of him and explain why I was a year behind.

"Did you get held back a year or something?" Andou didn't take my dead-end answer.

"Well…" I paused to choose my words. "More like I wasn't… there."

He raised a brow, "What the hell does that mean? Did you ditch or some shit?"

"…yeah, let's go with that." If ditching meant not attending school on a wide span of eight months, then he's about right.

"Man, dude that sucks."

"Yeah, well it seemed like a good idea at the time." My answer got a laugh out of him.

Our conversation died off more and more as we got closer to the park. Andou was basically the only one talking at this point. Harada and Sakura were long ahead of us. And it wasn't until we entered the park that they noticed us.

"Alright guys, what's it going to be?" Harada skipped back over in our direction with a basketball in her hands. "Told you there'd be a ball." She tossed the ball at Andou.

"What now?" He glanced back at me and then back at his girlfriend.

"I say two-v-two." Harada answered, "A game against you guys." She proceeded to steal the ball away from Andou, but he purposely turned away and held the ball away from her.

"You sure you want to go there?" Andou smirked knowing we would have the upper hand. "It wouldn't be fair."

"No competition you mean." I added while walking past them and heading for the court where Mikan was.

The snow was brushed off the court and only a few patches of ice remained here and there.

"I'll have you know Sakura and I played in a team a few years back." Harada countered back, but it didn't faze either of us. "I'm serious guys, we're not bad."

"Heads up!" Andou tossed the ball up in my direction just as I stepped onto the court.

I turned half ways to catch the ball with one hand. "Is that what you want too?" I directed my question toward Sakura as I began shrugging off my backpack and walking over in her direction. She was standing underneath one of the court posts with her bag against the post on the floor.

"I guess." She shrugged, "Misaki basically told me she can't play on the same team as Tsubasa for some reason."

"Can't be helped then," I dropped my backpack next to hers and headed back onto the court, "Show me what you got." I passed her the ball to get her on the court.

She caught the ball and stared at it a few seconds, "I uhmm haven't played this in a while, but…" She paused to dribble the ball a little, "It'll be fun." She smiled.

"Alright Hyuuga, what are the bets?" Andou caught our attention. They were standing over by the side of the court line.

I fixed my leather gloves while I answered, "I don't know, you guys are the one fighting about it."

Sakura was in the middle of taking a quick shot on the side of the hoop. And Andou and Harada took that as a sign to continue arguing about what the loser would do, or who the hell the loser would be. "Guys just fuckin' pick something," I'm seconds away from taking Mikan and walking away from this crap.

"Alright, fine- it's settled!" Andou stretched his hands out ignoring the rest of his girlfriend's complaint.

"What the hell Tsubasa! I never agreed to that!" She followed after him as he joined me over by the free throw line.

"Oh, what's the bet then?" Mikan dribbled the ball over to us and bounced it once in my direction to receive it.

Andou strangely took that as a sign to shoot a quick smirk at me before answering, "Hooking-it-up." He pumped his fist up basically cheering himself on and ignoring everyone else's expression.

What the hell…? I really- fucking REALLY had to force myself to stay. Mikan was growing redder and distant. She wouldn't even look at me. And I swear if it wouldn't have been for Harada surprising Andou with a kick for his stupid ass idea, I think I would have kicked him myself.

"Tsubasa you freakin' perv!" Harada continued shoving Andou, "Look at what you did to Mikan!" She pointed at her, "Tell her you were kidding!"

Instead of doing what he was told, Andou continued on to laughing instead, "What?" He shrugged while moving away from his girlfriend's attacks, "It's not like its something wrong. They're fucking dating! It'll happen eventually."

I couldn't help pinch the bridge of my nose and try to calm myself, "Dude, seriously… shut the hell up. You're not funny."

"Come on man, you know I'm fucking around." He chuckled.

"Yeah, but…" I pointed at Mikan, "She's taking everything you're saying serious!"

They both turned to look at Mikan to notice her uncomfortable state growing by the second.

"Mikan, he wasn't serious," I began explaining it to her as I took a few steps toward her, but strangely noticed her take the same amount of steps back, "….." Her actions totally made me swallow up the rest of my words. What was the point of explaining it any further? She was suddenly making it seem like I was the predator all of a sudden.

She didn't leave me much of a choice but to grant her the space she desperately needed. I dribbled the ball away in the direction of the hoop. I didn't even bother trying to take a shot, instead by the time I was over by the post, I simply turned around to toss the ball at Andou. "Well I'm obviously out of here." I picked up my backpack from the ground to hear Andou and Harada's confusion.

"What- man come on, it was a joke." Tsubasa insisted again.

"I know." I shrugged, "She didn't take it that way though, so I'm getting away from her." I paused to notice Mikan still looking at anything else but me, I really couldn't think up all of the many thoughts that were causing her to act this way, "…yeah, I'm out of here."

"Come on Hyuuga, don't be like that." Harada called after me as I stepped off the court, but even so I didn't even bother looking back.

It wasn't until I was a close to the park entrance that I heard footsteps running from behind me. "Natsume wait!" Mikan's voice immediately stopped me.

Why was she…?

I looked back to see her a few steps away.

"I'm sorry Natsume!" She stopped a few feet away, "It- it isn't what you think!" Her words made me look at her curiously. I wondered about what she was assuming.

I remained quiet to let her continue, "Uhmm you see- it's not like I would say no," she awkwardly fumbled around her fingers, "I just… what I'm trying to say is…" She was really drowning in words. I could notice the nightmarish shyness keeping her from talking normal.

"Mikan," I got her attention. "I know you're far from ready." My statement made her relax. Her expression said it all, "You don't have to listen to every single little or stupid thing anyone says. Do what you feel is right, alright?" She instantly nodded and surprisingly got closer.

"Thanks Natsume," her smile grew gentle and thin, "Uhmm would it be okay if I told you- or uhmm I mean… is it okay if I explain?"

"Is it about what he said?" I tried clueing in, but she shook her head.

"It really wasn't much of what he said, but it was more on what he made me remember. And its something that I've been trying to push into the back of my head."

"Remember?" I raised a brow. What was she trying so hard to forget?

"Yes, it was the first thing that came to mind."

"What was it?"

She took a deep breath and slightly turned away, "… the hickie you gave me…." The rosy tint on her cheeks came back again.

I couldn't help mirror her action and turned slightly away, "Oh…" it was that.

"And it was something I should have stopped you on, but…" She looked at me shyly, "instead I got lost in it. Like even up until now I can still remember the feeling, and I thought it was something wrong, but now… with all this time being apart, I've felt like I have been secretly craving to experience that same feeling again. That's why when Tsubasa made that dumb joke, that scary feeling came back…" Her voice trailed off. "Sorry for telling you something so embarrassing." She looked away again, "I just felt like I had to tell you."

Her words had completely blown my mind away, like I was finding it hard to come up with the right thing to say. Mikan had seriously had her moment just now that- WOW… I wished I could have found a way to tell her how her confession just now jump started the hell out of my heart, in reality it was mostly a sign of relief too. "Good to hear it was just that." I reached over to grab her hand before leading her back the way we came, "But if it helps, I won't force you to do anything you don't want." …For now.

"You really mean that?" She beamed a big smile at me. A smile I needed to see to tell she was okay now.

"Yeah, so don't be afraid." It was something I never wanted her to feel towards me.

A small giggle escaped her, "I think I'm more afraid of myself, to tell you the truth."

I raised a brow, "Why's that?" I couldn't help ask.

She gave a slight shrug and smiled up at me again, "I've never felt anything like this for anyone before." Her words really teased a smile on my lips.

She really needed to stop saying everything so freely. I wouldn't be caught dead saying those kinds of things out loud, but as for her…? For some reason it really fit her to say her emotions. That was something I truly admired from her, but obviously I'm not going to tell her any of that.

"What about you, Natsume?"

Of course she was going to ask me that. "…I…" I paused and glanced back at her since she pulled our hands to stop us from walking. She really wanted an answer, but… like I said before; it wasn't not going to happen. Instead of words, I moved my hand away from hers and pulled her head in to place a simple kiss on her forehead.

Her reaction as I pulled away was too straight forward. The slight pout she made as I pulled away and the way she had her eyes closed? Her disappointment was obvious.

Even so, I didn't let her hints guide me into kissing her like she wanted. I slid my hand back into her hand like before and pulled her to start walking the rest of the way.

We stepped back on the court to see Andou and Harada practicing.

"Oh wow~" Harada was first to notice us, "you guys are back."

"Sorry about what happened." Andou added, "I didn't mean to cause trouble between you two."

I didn't say anything back, but Mikan found it in herself to reply to Andou's lame apology, "It's okay Tsubasa. It really wasn't what you said that bothered me. It was really something else-"

"So what now?" I cut her off while pulling her over towards the post and dropping off my backpack next to her stuff again. She was sharing too much already.

Mikan was quick to answer, "I want to play but… I want US to be in the same team."

I looked over my shoulder toward Andou and Harada, "Did you guys hear that?"

"What'd she say?" Andou held the ball.

"It's us against you guys-"

"What- No! I don't want to be in the same team as Tsubasa." Harada wasn't late on complaining the obvious. "I want to be with Mikan and-"

"Well too bad." There's no way I'll be on Harada's team so, "Mikan is in my team. Fucking find a way to work together."

She gave a scowled look at Andou, "Fine, whatever but I won't agree to any bets then."

"Works for us." We didn't care if there were any bets in the line. It was those two idiots that were in it for the competition.

"Good then, let's get started." Andou passed the ball to me, "You guys take out."

"Alright," I handed the ball to Mikan, "You can check in first."

She took the ball to the center line followed by Harada, "Okay, but… just keep in mind that I haven't played this in a while, so don't expect pro-ness from me."

"Nobody's a pro here, so just have fun," Andou reassured, "Well… you know I mean you guys except me that is."

For a second there I ALMOST thought he was about to say something right, until he decided to add in the stupid part at the end. "Just do what you can." I'll do the rest.

Mikan and Harada started the game with simple movements, nothing close to as competitive as I thought they would be. I guess it didn't work for Harada if she was playing against a friend. Her target of competition was Andou but obviously that cancelled itself out the moment you put them on the same team.

Mikan was doing okay with passing and moving the ball around enough to get it to me, but she wouldn't consider taking a single shot. The game continued pretty fair with Andou's team leading by a few points, since Mikan had like a mental barrier keeping her from shooting. It carried on to the point that it was slowly staring to become obvious; it even got to the point that Andou and Harada stuck to double teaming me instead.

"Mikan, take a damn shot," I passed the ball right before Andou and Harada rushed me; leaving her right open, "Who cares if you miss."

She dribbled the ball a bit before positioning herself, "alright… uhmm," She took a quick breath just as Andou went to block her.

The ball left her hands just in time to get it past Andou but the ball still didn't go in. It ended up hitting the side of the rim and stolen by Andou.

"Sorry!" Mikan called out as she tried blocking Andou from taking a rebound shot.

"Misaki, get open!" Andou called over his shoulder to trick Mikan, which actually worked as he easily stepped around Mikan for the shot. He was getting ready to take his shot when I suddenly stepped in for pressure.

"Stay open Mikan," I stopped Mikan from running over to Harada. Andou obviously took that as a chance to pass, but I purposely called it out loud to lure him just like he had fooled Mikan.

He tried doing a check pass under my arm, even though he knew it was risky. The moment the ball left his hand it was an easy steal from him to Harada.

I quickly intercepted the pass and wrapped the ball behind my back to get it on my dominant side. Andou knew it was going to happen because he was immediately on me.

I was instantly left with no room, so I had to do a few in and out dribbles between my legs to get Andou thinking.

I managed to back up a few steps to wrap the ball from behind me and switch it to my non-dominant side. I faked rushing my weak side before crossing it over through Andou's Legs and passing it to Mikan for a quick shot. "Go!"

She gave me a startled look but she positioned herself right and shot the ball with the right angle and force to get the ball in.

"Good shot Mikan," Harada complemented her, "Finally took the shot huh."

I caught the ball as it fell since I was waiting for the rebound just in case.

"Hey fucker, you know street and didn't say shit about it." Andou made it sound like I was purposely hiding it or something.

"I played street as a kid, it wasn't like anyone fucking asked anyways." And it wasn't like my moves were anything impossible. It was just shit you learn as a kid to kill time and get by in a game.

"You played basketball when you were little?" It clearly sparked some curiosity in Mikan; of course.

"Yeah." I glanced away remembering the type of lifestyle I had back then. "It was a long time ago."

"That's neat." Mikan excitedly stared at me, "It must have been-"

"Guys we gotta head back now." Harada was in the middle of checking her phone, "If we leave now, we can get there before the bell and make it seem like Mikan was there the whole time."

"Yeah, let's go then." Andou was first to agree. "It's getting late."

I placed the ball down by the post while I picked up my things and handed Mikan hers.

"Natsume you don't have work today?" Mikan asked me as we began heading off the court.

"Not till later, why?"

"Oh… I was just thinking if you'd like to come over and-"

"You're grounded remember?" I began taking my gloves off and placing them in my pocket.

"Yeah I know… but… I was hoping that maybe you can at least-"

"Just wait till next week. I'll be back in class by then." There was no way her parents were going to let me come over after all that happened.

We left the park with Andou and Harada leading the way. They were slowly starting to get further and further ahead since Mikan was walking at a slower pace.

"Natsume?" I felt her cold little hand tug me back from crossing the next street light. I almost gasped from the contact since I didn't have my gloves on. Andou and Harada had long crossed the road, so they didn't even notice us miss the light.

I looked back at her, "What?"

She didn't say anything, but continued leading me in another direction.

It wasn't until we reached a nearby alleyway that she released my hand and explained her sudden actions.

She leaned up against the wall behind her and faced me, "Sorry, I just didn't want to go back yet."

It's not like we had much of a choice. She had to get back to school before Narumi noticed. "We gotta get you back before they noticed we ditched." I glanced away towards the cluttered back of the alley.

"I know that." She was quick to agree, "But don't you want to spend more time with me?" Her voice came out almost like a plead. She really didn't want to let go.

I knew what she was getting at, but it wasn't something I could say out loud. She's been doing this since the moment we left. The whole 'I miss you too much' act was getting to her. "We need to get back." I reminded her.

"But…" her protest didn't leave her mouth. She silently bit her lip and turned away.

Something that always got my attention; the lip biting.

She always did that whenever she gets lost in thought.

"Stop it…" I sighed accidently letting her know.

She gave me a curious stare, "Stop what?"

"…it's nothing." I walked over and grabbed her right forearm, "Let's go. We're just wasting time."

"We're NOT wasting time!" She tugged herself away to stand her ground.

Why was she being so stubborn? "Fine it's not a waste of time, we just don't have time to be playing stupid mind games."

"Stupid mind games?- Hyuuga I just want to spend more time with-"

"Why?!"I cut her off losing my temper, "Tell me what you want? Because for sure as hell I don't see it!" My tone of voice startled her.

She didn't say anything and bit her lip again.

"I told you to STOP-"… that…

…oh…

The sudden conclusion finally hit me. I finally caught on to her little uncomfortable actions. This whole time I've been ignoring my own urges. Since the moment I saw her again, but… you know what? "Screw it!" I pushed her up against the wall and even lifted her a little to crash my lips onto hers. Even I was sick and tired of restraining myself. I wanted to kiss her the moment I saw her, but held back because we were in front of the group. Then after that, the whole hickie thing she had confined to me about shot down any other opportunity. I broke the kiss and waited for her to look at me, "Dammit, Sakura…" I breathed out my pointless frustration. "You don't have to…" ask or drop hints.

I grabbed her hands this time and tried a different approach giving her space, "Mikan, stop it and look at me." She was fidgeting around avoiding my eyes. She stalled another few seconds but she nervously lifted her sight to meet mine, "You don't need to get my permission." I purposely lifted her chin a little and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

Her reaction was exactly as I expected. I knew I was right the moment I saw her blush and bite her lip again.

"We're past the asking part." I placed another quick kiss on her lips, except I let this one linger a second longer than the first two. "You don't have to wait for me to-"

She cut me off as I felt her free hand link around my neck and pull me down to her lips. Her surprised kiss definitely won a smirk out of me. It was like she was holding herself back this whole time too and as soon as I gave her the okay she jumped at the chance.

Her lips caressed mine a lot longer and gentler than I had in my previous attempts. She definitely wanted to lead this kiss; the more I tried copying her and matching her rhythm, the more she moved.

Dammit…

I broke the kiss and breathed out a long sigh as she did the same.

She knew how tempted that kiss had left me. This was definitely the same feeling she was telling me about earlier.

I swiftly moved my hands from where I had them to her lower back as I pressed her up against the wall again.

Now it was my turn. I wanted more.

I leaned down and placed another quick kiss on her lips before prolonging it. She knew I was going to do it because she instantly took a deep breath and pressed herself more against me. She even stood up on her tip toes for a better angle. I purposely pulled away before she could deepen the kiss. She did a good job teasing me before so I couldn't help make some fun out of this. I switched my angle just as she tried to lick my lips, so she ended up sweeping her tongue across her own lips. She definitely hummed out her confusion as I crashed my lips onto hers and deepened the kiss as intended. The moment my tongue passed the borders of her teeth was the moment I felt something vibrate in my backpack, which was then followed by three long beeps. "Dammit…" I broke the kiss to notice her disappointment too.

"What- what is it?" She released her hold and stared at me for an answer.

I stepped back and began swinging off the straps of my backpack, "It's my phone." I unzipped the front pocket and took out the thin black device.

"Phone?" She covered her breath, "I thought you said you didn't have one?"

True. I didn't I have one until recently, "It's new… and this is the first time it rings." I looked at the screen to see the caller I.D state 'unknown'.

"Does it say who it is?" She tried looking at the screen, but I purposely touched the 'answer' key and put it up against my ear. I already had an idea on who it might be.

I turned away from Sakura as I returned one of the straps from my backpack over my shoulder, "What do you want?"

"_So you CAN follow orders," _I stayed silent knowing who it was._ "You got thirty minutes to get home. I'll be waiting." _

The line instantly clicked end as I felt my own phone close the phone call.

"What was it?" Mikan was fast to ask, "Who was it?"

I stared at the screen as it read six seconds on the call info. "I have to be somewhere." I slipped the phone in my jean pocket and grabbed her hand. "Let's get you back first."

"But…" She began to protest.

I pulled her to start walking, "Now we both have somewhere to be. We can't waste any more time."

She silently nodded even though it looked like she had other questions to ask.

The rest of the way was quiet and we made it a few minutes late. We had to go through the south gate and cross the campus to the main entrance to make it seem like we got out of class together.

I was late on dropping off Sakura at school, so it also meant I was minutes behind getting home on time.

I tried running the rest of the way home, but with all the snow, stop lights, and intersections I was bound to be late.

I didn't reach the steps to my apartment complex until I was five minutes past the expected time. "Shit…" I ran the rest of the way through the building and up to my floor to notice the door to my room wide open.

What the hell was going on?

I ran into my room breathing heavily from all the running to come across Persona suspiciously waiting in my living room with two other guys.

"You're late." He glanced up at me from where he was sitting on the couch. He was the only one sitting while the two other bodyguard-looking guys stood on each of his sides.

"I know…" I dropped my backpack on the table, "What do you want?"

He didn't answer until I was standing a few feet away from him. "I have a job proposition for you," He stood up as the guys standing around him gave him space, "Let's talk…"

* * *

**Author's note: **

**Chapter COMPLETE! Sooo much reading right? I definitely missed working on this story! So I can't wait to hear what you guys think! Please REVIEW or PM whichever works and tell me your opinions. Criticisms are also open. It totally helps me get better, so don't hesitate.**

**Thank you so much for reading! **

**and now for the next 8 months I will probably be M.I.A because of school, so I'll be hating life until then, but hopefully if I get some breathing room and I'm still sane, then I WILL work on fanfiction :) so I have something to look forward to if I survive lol**

**THANKYOU again for reading and until next time!****Oh and please feel free to PM and check up on me to see if I'm still alive lol I love it when you guys remind me to work on the story.**


	12. Start the Nightmare

**Hey everyone, glad and super excited that I got the chance to post in between hell semesters. I got a window of 2 weeks of summer vacation and got into writing this chapter. And its another long chapter as we can all expect. I've had these three ideas lined up for quite some time but never had the chance to write them down until now. This was THE ONLY chance to post before the end of August so I tried to mesh in all three ideas into one chapter. It may seem like a lot- like even i thought it felt like a lot was going on at the same time, but I just had to push these ideas through. I wasn't going to scrap them or have them disappear with time, so I combined them into one long chapter. **

**I don't really know what to explain from this chapter since things pick up a lot.**

**Oh and one last thing before you guys start reading. You guys are well aware that my writing isn't perfect. I just can't catch everything. Like even i get tired of reading the same thing over and over ahaha**

**but yeah hopefully things aren't looking so bad. **

**Hope you all like and thank you for making it this far :) **

**ENJOY XD**

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

"Now… before I get into the whole job description, there's something else I should mention as well." Persona suspiciously motioned his hand toward the hallway suddenly allowing another bodyguard-looking guy appear. Now there were three of these guys in my home and things were only getting more uncomfortable.

I took a few steps back toward the table as I tried keeping everyone in the room in the line of sight. I didn't know what was going on, but I was completely out numbered. I knew it, my body knew it, and the feeling of finding a way out was increasing. I couldn't help glance back at the front door reassuring myself that it was open for me to make a run for it if I needed to. If worse came to worse, I'd—

My thoughts froze as I heard another set of steps echoing in the apartment. My eyes focused on the hallway once again as I saw Youichi appear behind the bodyguard followed by a much older individual. Youichi immediately tried making a run for me but the guard held him back. "What are you doing?" I directed the question at Persona without averting my sight from Youichi. "Why is Youichi-"

"He's going home." Persona cut me off.

"What?" Going home? "What the hell does that mean?" I subconsciously took a step toward Youichi. "He's not-"

"He's no longer your concern." Persona stepped over to my side and stood beside me as his words wouldn't sink in. "This could really be considered good news or bad news to you really." He coolly wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "See… I went ahead and out of my way to do a few good investigations for the kid. I found out were the kid came from, which was quite the shocker to me." Persona chuckled beside me as he pulled out something from his black trench coat pocket. "Who knew…?" He began unfolding a piece of paper and holding it out in front for me to read. "Who knew this little kid was the biological inheritor to a multi-million dollar company in European soil."

I roughly shrugged off Persona and took a few steps back, "…you can't be serious…" There was no way. Youichi wasn't- "Fuck off Persona, you're lying." That couldn't be true. I breathed out a long breath feeling my chest tightening up.

"Crazy right?" Persona continued holding out the document in my direction. It was like he was waving it around in my face as some sort of victory flag. "It's all here in ink and paper. All of it is here. And I can seriously say rich people can be pretty fucked up to their own family members. The whole accident with his parents was supposed to kill the little guy too, but… as we can see that didn't work out too well…"

"My apologies for intruding," The older man standing beside Youichi took a step toward me, "If I may continue the explanation, I am quite sure you will understand the circumstance."

"Saves me the breath," Persona crossed his arms allowing the old man to continue.

"If I may start with truly appreciating your kindness toward the young master," The old man bowed forward in my direction. "My name is Timothy Greer; I have been the family personal butler to the Hijiri household for over 56 years. I cannot be grateful enough for seeing the young master safe and sound. A true miracle may I add, thanks to you Mr. Hyuuga."

I shook my head, "That's… it?" Was I supposed to just let this guy take Youichi away just because? "You're kidding me right?" I didn't hold back my anger to carry out my words, "Two whole fuckin' years of abandoning Youichi, and I'm just supposed to see you come in and take him?" NO FUCKING WAY! I wasn't going to let this happen! "Do you have any idea how hard we had it?!" I shouted at the man knowing I was probably making myself look like a complete fool, "I've done everything in my power to keep him safe! He is MY family, you can't take him!" I turned away just as I felt myself tense and cringe up from the earrings activating.

The first shockwave pulse was strong enough to make me take a knee, but it didn't keep me from talking, "He's… the only family I have…" Dammit, I didn't mean to come out sounding desperate. "Why… are you doing this…?" The pulses were only irritating me more than anything.

"I apologize for the sudden arrangement." I caught a glimpse of the old man approaching me, "I can reassure you that the young master will be well taken care of and the Hijiri household holds great gratitude in your good deed-"

"WHAT GOOD DEED?!" I shouted refusing to acknowledge him. I didn't do it as a thing to get goody points from anyone! "He's my… family…" Can't you see… "I can't… I can't live without him!" My purpose- was always for him! The reason why I stopped running away. The reason why I had to find any shitless job to provide. The reason why I would sleep and wake up in the morning.

What was I supposed to do now? I- I didn't want to go back…

"Damn…" I felt myself wince from the earrings. The pain was bearable and I welcomed it. It was the only thing that was keeping me from feeling completely numb.

"Mr. Hyuuga," The old man suddenly knelt down in front of me to meet my eye level, "Your compensation." He slid a white envelope in my direction.

I stared at the envelope without a single reason to touch it. "I don't want your damn money." Did I come off being THAT fucking pathetic? Did he seriously consider money was going to solve it?

I held my breath and forced myself to stand in an attempt to approach Youichi.

I had to. I needed to. I knew I was running out of time and I knew I had been wasting it. It was denial this whole time that kept me from saying goodbye to Youichi.

I was about to take a step forward when I noticed the old man kneeling before me having a hard time trying to stand on his own. I couldn't stop myself from helping the old man stand. I grabbed his shoulders and helped him straighten up. He obviously didn't expect it either since he shockingly stared at me with wide eyes.

"My… thank you young man; these old hinges have a mind of their own." He bluffed trying to lighten up the mood.

I nodded understandingly and stepped around him. "I want to say goodbye."

I watched as Persona signaled the bodyguards to step aside. "My gift to you." Persona motioned all of the guards to stand on one side of the room as Youichi was finally allowed to run towards me.

His little arms reached out to me as I collapsed on my knees and grabbed onto him. It felt like I was saying good bye to my own life. My reason.

I wanted to tell him how much he changed my life. How much he meant to me. How much I loved him for putting up with all the hardships we encountered. Whether if we fought or got sick. Laughed or got into trouble. All the time we spent together, I would never ever forget. My only regret was not being able to give him a more comfortable home. Not being able to provide him with what he deserved.

The memory of freezing cold winters, and hot blistering summers- all of it; we made it through… somehow.

No matter what… he was my brother and will continue to be.

"Youichi…" My voice shook as I tried fighting back my own emotions, "You're a strong kid alright. I know you got this." I tried keeping my words as positive as I could. "You will… be okay." I pressed my eyes shut as I felt traces of tears beginning to gather. "You know you will be okay. I- I know you will be okay. I promise." I breathed out a long shaky breath. There had to be a better way of making him feel better. God, I sucked at this… I couldn't even find the right words to tell him it was going to be fine.

I gave the hug one last squeeze and placed a kiss on his forehead, "You will always be my family…" No matter what, "My little brother."

His silent cries shook his body even more as he held onto me with all his might. If anything I think I made it worse.

I wished I could have allowed him all the time he needed to cry, but I knew it wasn't going to be like that.

"One of you," Persona began making sudden arrangements. "Escort Youichi and Mr. Greer to their transportation." The closest guard pulled Youichi out of my hold and picked him up without any remorse. I instantly turned away and kept my eyes shut not wanting to see Youichi kick or try to resist. I wouldn't be able to stand it. "Take them and don't come back until you see that they reach the airport and their plane takes off. The remaining two will stay behind and help me get Hyuuga in control."

I couldn't help chuckle at his last statement. Was he that sure I was going to resist and chase after Youichi? I laughed again as I laid back completely on the floor. "You fucking swear like I'm crazy enough to fight this." The moment I opened my eyes and saw Youichi no longer in sight was the moment that unfriendly numb feeling sank in. God… how long did I expect to run away from this feeling? I was way past the denial phase and accepted that my life had lost its purpose once again.

I was lost again; plain and simple. I was back to that shithole of a life I had back then. Everything… everything came rushing back in my mind. My past; the upmost shit I continued to suppress…

I paused and rolled over to come face-to-face with the white envelope left for me on the floor.

…

It took me a few seconds to register why I was just lying there staring at it until I decided to sit back and pick it up. My full blown intention was to rip it right here on the spot without looking inside, but Persona stopped me. His gloved hand covered my own as I held the envelope a split second away from tearing it in half.

"That won't do anything." He knelt down beside me, "The transaction and confirmation has already been processed."

His words only echoed in my ears as I stopped squeezing the envelope in my grip. "You allowed it… didn't you?"

"Yup," He didn't hesitate to answer, "Every waking cent in that transaction is under your name as of…" He easily slipped the envelope out my hands and pulled the documents out. "Says here… as of four days ago. Pretty neat huh?" He flipped the page, "Wow they weren't kidding… half a million dollars—" He closed the letter, "Whoops, I didn't ask if you wanted to know the amount yet… but yeah. What a twist- don't you think?" His right arm slipped around my shoulders as he peeled the platinum bank card right in my face. He dropped the letter with his free hand and forced the plastic card into my right hand. "Seems like your money crisis was suddenly resolved." He continued to bluff as I just sat there and took everything he said in disgust.

"Why… why did you do it?" I mumbled my question loud enough for him to hear. I wanted to know why he purposely got rid of Youichi. "You better fucking have a good reason…" I breathed out a long breath as I continued staring at the card in my hand. "Why?"

He didn't answer my question right off the back. I felt his arm shift around my shoulders but I didn't expect for his hand to roughly grip the back of my hair. He turned my head forcing me to meet his glare, "Thank me." His eyes narrowed as he noticed my blank expression didn't change. "You piece of shit should be thanking me for not sending the runt to an orphanage instead. Do you have any idea how much easier it would have been if I would have just thrown the kid away?!"

I purposely glanced away to piss him off even more, "I don't care…" It didn't change anything.

He didn't respond as he unexpectedly released my hair and stood up.

I continued watching as he removed his trench coat and began unfastening the cuffs on his black shirt. "I'll personally enjoy this." He pushed his long sleeves up and motioned to one of the bodyguards. "Bring the gear assigned N-II from the car." Persona sat down on the couch as the bodyguard left the apartment on command. "Let's see how you handle working for me."

I sluggishly stood up and glanced between the door and Persona without really giving a damn what Persona had in mind. I wasn't planning of making a run for it either, so I ended up pulling a table chair out and sitting on it. "What's the job?" I broke the silence as I tossed the bank card on the table. He might as well explain while his lackey got the stuff.

"Garbage duty."

I raised a brow, "Garbage duty?" … What?

"Just like it sounds. Taking out the trash." He added. "Gotta have you test the waters first and we'll see from there."

"You make it sound impossible." I kept my gaze directed at the floor as Persona chuckled over my words.

"That's all on you if you want to make it impossible."

"Yeah, it's all on me…" I mocked his words as I didn't want to continue this conversation. It was obvious he wasn't going to tell me flat out what the plan was.

A minute later the bodyguard that was sent to retrieve the shit out of the car came back and he didn't come back light. I thought he was going to come back carrying a simple bag or something like that… but I wasn't even close. The guy was packing a large luggage bag, two duffle bags, and another huge bag slung over his shoulder that made it seem impossible to carry all at once.

What kind of a garbage job was this? I eyed all the things the guard carried over to Persona.

Each bag the guy put down landed with a loud thud. Every single bag sounded the same; heavy or heavier; nothing light. It even sounded like scraps of metal were in there.

"Let's get started…" Persona grabbed the biggest bag out of all four and pulled out a black narrow container.

My focus was immediately on the box in Persona's possession. The feeling I got from seeing this box alerted my senses. It felt- it felt like I wasn't supposed to go near it. Why was I getting this feeling? Why now? I rubbed the center of my chest as it suddenly began to grow warm.

I didn't notice when one of the bodyguards closed the front door to the apartment while the other stepped behind me.

"I wouldn't hold him down just yet," Persona began opening the box as each step brought him closer, "He won't fight it. Isn't that right, Hyuuga?"

Not like I had a reason to…. "I don't care." I concluded as he revealed the object from the box.

The thin white frame of the object alarmed me as I recognized the object. "You!- You were-"

He cut off my sudden realization as he forced the mask against my face, "NO! Now it's your turn!"

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

_**Two weeks later….**_

"_The DEA continues to refuse any commentary regarding the recent pyrogenic activity taking place in these particular abandoned buildings. There is no commentary from city officials as well regarding the connection of the previous three mass fires that have taken place these past few weeks. We can only confirm that the only linkage between these locations were the illegal manufacturing of recreational drugs. The total numbers of 32 bodies have been confirmed and forensics continues to work on identifying each individual. Would it be too much of a coincidence for all three locations to catch fire spontaneously one after another? Or would these fires be an act of arson? We will keep you informed with any new updates regarding the matter here on our local city news network. If you have any clues or concerns regarding the-" _

"Enough…" Narumi turned off the news report on the television and threw the remote to the side. "Can't these nosy people give it a break already?"

I was in the middle of unloading my backpack on the center table to do homework, when Narumi gave me a blank stare. "Uhmmm… I don't know?" Was he asking me or was he just that frustrated he was talking to himself?

"Well what about you? Do you know anything? Any kids at school gloating about setting a few houses on fire?" He continued giving me that long stare.

Uhmm"…Not that I know of?" I shrugged grabbing my chemistry book and spiral notebook, "Maybe those guys that died in the fire didn't mix their chemicals right? You know… all them drugs… it's a crazy process of handling chemicals and if you don't know your chemistry…" I purposely tapped my hand against the cover of my textbook, "You can blow yourself up."

Narumi only shook his head at my answer, "Bunch of idiots if you ask me." He breathed out an annoyed sigh, "Can't believe people are desperate enough to mix crap up and disregard the chances of an adverse chemical reaction."

I couldn't help tilt my head in curiosity. I mean, was Narumi REALLY taking my answer into consideration? I seriously thought he was going to shoot me down instantly, but wow surprisingly not. Were all those random fires so misleading? "What does mom think? Has she thought up of anything in particular?"

"She thinks its arson," It almost sounded like he bit back a scoff for a sec. "It's ridiculous, I know but I just can't agree with her."

I raised a brow. Well I guess their argument was still ongoing…. Although it was rare to see these two disagree about work related stuff. "Why do you say that?"

"She thinks she's seen it all and thinks it's easy to blame it on drug wars." He briefly stated.

"We can't fully say she's wrong though, right?" I was actually surprised Narumi was disclosing stuff about their job. It somewhat made me wonder how mad he was at my mom to begin with. "What do you think it is?" I sat my books aside and paid closer attention to what he was going to say next.

"I can't tell you exactly what it is, but I feel like it's something more serious. And I think there's-" He shifted in his seat just as his phone sounded off with three loud beeps.

The sound even made me flinch from how loud he had his phone settings on.

"Is it mom?" I asked as he stared at his phone screen reading the caller I.D

"It is…" He spared a quick glance before answering the call, "What is it?"

"…" I could kinda hear my mom shouting from the other end.

It startled me even more once Narumi shot up from his seat, "WHAT?!" His tone made me flinch and bolt off the couch as well. "When? HOW?! YUKA-" He fumbled the phone as he almost tripped himself running around the couch. "I'll be right there!" He ran to the door completely forgetting his coat.

"Naru- Dad wait! What happened?" I tried grabbing his coat from the couch's backrest as I hopped over the couch. "Did something happen to mom?!" I felt the urge to panic as Narumi didn't even hesitate to run out into the night freezing weather. The street lights had already turned on and the temperature was quickly dropping.

Narumi didn't realize I was following him until he was almost half ways toward his car. "She's fine." He quickly rushed back to retrieve his coat, "Someone broke into the office."

I didn't hold back my surprise, "What? Why would-"

"I don't know!" He shouted back at me as he ran again towards his car. "Just get inside and lock the door." He pulled his car door open, "Lock the door and put the house alarm on!"

I couldn't ask anything more as he got inside his car and drove off the driveway and down the street.

A sudden breeze pushed against me causing a well-earned shiver to shake my body. I hugged myself as I realized how much of a bad idea it was to suddenly run outside in pajamas. Of course my body was going to complain. "Jeez…" it's, "cold!" I quickly rushed inside and locked the door just as Narumi had instructed; activated the house alarm and picked up the house phone.

All I wanted to do was call mom as soon as possible. I needed to!

I pressed in the numbers as fast as I could and pressed the ear piece against my ear.

I began bobbing on my knees as I heard the line ring a few times. "Come on mom… pick up… pick up… pick up the phone dammit!" The phone line clicked startling me, "Mom! Are you-" _The number you just dialed is unavailable at the moment at the tone please—_

I hung up and dialed the same number again to repeat the same outcome. "Dammit!" I tossed the phone in the empty sink and ran back into the living room thinking there might be something on the news about it.

I plopped down on the couch after retrieving the remote and channel searched any local news station as fast as possible. "Come on…" There had to be something on the news about it…

I flipped and flipped through each channel hoping- praying for any possible news but ended up with more disappointment. "Are you serious?!" I shouted throwing the TV remote at the other couch.

Why wasn't there anything?!

I frustratedly hopped off the couch and ran up the stairs to my room. I wanted to change and go after Narumi, but I knew driving was out of the question. I didn't have a car! My mom had been driving my car and Narumi took the only other car! I began pulling off my pajamas anyways and wanted to make a run for it instead.

I literally grabbed anything I could get my hands on and ended up grabbing a pair of jeans and a gym shirt. Who cared- I kicked on a pair of black boots and made my way down the stairs. I was almost on the bottom step when I realized I forgot to get a sweater from my room. "You're kidding me…" I annoyingly glanced up the stairs and decided against running back up to my room. I went for the coat closet underneath the stairs instead and pulled out one of my mom's coat and scarf.

Now all I needed was some cab fare that way I could—

As if this night couldn't get any worse, the power to the whole house- all of it completely shut off. All the lights in the blink of an eye turned off- everything in an instant became pitch black.

… great… just great… "WHY?" If there was anything in the world I hated- it was darkness. I didn't care how old I was, I was freakin' afraid of the dark! And being home alone didn't help!

I breathed out a long breath to keep myself calm and tried picturing the whole outline of the house in my mind.

My hands felt around the air until I found the bars to the staircase just above my head.

I was already on edge thanks to the darkness so when the alarm suddenly went off due to the lack of energy didn't help either. I crouched down and covered my ears as the alarm sounded full blast. "STUPID ALARM!" I shouted standing up and figuring out the way to the kitchen. I kept my ears covered as I bumped and tripped all the way to the alarm system. The numbers on the pad were slowly beginning to fade so I tried punching in the code as fast as I could. My hands shook as I saw the numbers and letters begin to disappear, "COME ON!" I pressed in the code once and it didn't work! "COME ON!" I shouted at the damn thing a second time as I pressed in the code one last time before finally getting it right. The alarm suddenly shut off letting me sink into the silence of the darkness.

The blaring echo was slowly starting to fade from within my ears drums as the silent night wasn't too silent.

I slowly paid attention to my surroundings as my ears began picking up strange noises. I kept my eyes shut and held my breath trying to concentrate on the noise.

My heart slowly began to race as it began recognizing the noise. The noise slowly started sounding like footsteps. Footsteps from above…. Footsteps on the ceiling!

The roof tiles creaked in a manner that made it completely evident that someone was up there.

I caught my gasp as I slid down against the wall right underneath the alarm system. My hands shook on my mouth as I heard the footsteps moving from one side of the house to the next. I remained curled up against the wall completely freaking out in silence as I tried to figure out how many different set of steps I could hear.

One set definitely sounded from behind me- over by the bedrooms and another set was in front of me.

I had to move and fast. My body shook flooded with fear, but it was only wasting time. These people could be seconds away from breaking in!

I opened my eyes thinking I would be able to glance around but completely saw darkness. I flinched from how dark it was, but right now darkness was the least of my problems. Actually I didn't have time to panic about the darkness. I pressed my eyes shut again and tried to visualize the house as quickly as possible.

I came up with two alternatives... either make a run for the back door, or find a way to stay out of sight while the person moving in through the front passed through…

I didn't have any more time to panic. I slowly rose against the wall as I made up my mind. I had to choose now- NOW!

My breath got caught in my lungs as the alarm startled me once again.

"…_Master bedroom window 1 open… *beep-beep*"_

THE SINGLE SECOND my mind took to process the message, my hand was already slamming over the panic button on the alarm pad. I pressed it in three times setting off the sirens once again. The blaring sounds gave me the seconds I needed to find my way back to the coat closet and hide inside.

I quickly pulled as many coats as I could off of the rack only to make them fall over me. I kept the coats on me as I curled up against a few boxes praying this would keep me out of sight. I had to keep as many coats on me as possible in order to avoid getting noticed.

I had never in my mind expected to hide in this closet, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

I tried steadying myself as the alarm continued to rock the whole house.

Hurried footsteps vibrated above me as someone ran down the stairs.

I couldn't believe it… the alarm wasn't enough to scare the intruders away. They were seriously trying to turn off the alarm…

I sucked in my breath and continued steading my breath to quiet small ones.

Minutes had gone by and I could feel the floor vibrating from both of the intruders now. They were both inside the—

I suddenly heard the closet door open.

My body tensed, my mind shouted, and my breathing completely stopped. I began hearing the coats hanging from above being pushed around.

"FOUND IT!" A male's voice shouted just above me making me realize he had found me… had he found me…? I remained still without a single breath yet.

The intruder hadn't made any contact with me so I slowly relaxed my lungs to breathe in short impossible breaths. My life depended on this so I didn't dare make a single move.

The alarm suddenly shut off as metal noises came from above me.

"There I got it." He slammed the closet door making his voice more faded. "Fucking energy back-up. Now let's find this piece of shit and get out." His voice was even harder to listen to thanks to all the coats lying on top of me.

The fact that I didn't get discovered was a bit of relief, but it wasn't over.

Now I heard the intruders roaming around the house. One returned back up the stairs while the other one just echoed away. I couldn't pin-point the person on the first floor. And the coats were beginning to suffocate me, so as quietly as I could I began moving them away; one at a time.

It took another few minutes to free myself before pressing my ear against the closet door.

I wanted to make sure I had enough of a distance between the intruder on the first floor and me.

I held my breath and concentrated my hearing.

…he wasn't in the kitchen… he was… further… and not in that direction… it was more towards the… guest room….

My eyes shot open as I realized I didn't have a better chance than now!

I knew it was a straight shot from where I was to the front door! I took a few deep breaths and readied myself. I had to- this was my only chance. I had to get away.

I turned the closet knob as quietly as possible and before I knew it the insane wave of adrenaline steered me to the front door. I didn't care how many times I trip or stumbled, I made it to that door, the door that would allow me my desperate escape.

I swung the front door open ignoring the fact that it made noise and pressed on.

I jumped off the front patio and ran past the lawn and down the street.

The cold air stung my face and lungs as I powered down the sidewalk.

I didn't dare question how my body was carrying me right now; all I knew was that it was doing everything possible to keep me alive and safe.

I stopped at the end of the block and glanced around for any signs of finding someone outside. But before I could consider knocking on a stranger's door, I began hearing tree branches ruffling, and metal fences shifting.

My legs acted on their own as another wave of adrenaline spiked my senses. I began to sprint across the road and into the next block as I heard the fast steps from behind me approaching incredulously.

This person wasn't only running- it was climbing and jumping over things to confuse me!

All the noises this person was making were horrifying me but I didn't stop. My heart pumped and legs were literally pounding from so much energy. I soon began reaching the end of the next block and this time I wasn't planning of slowing down at the corner.

I ran straight onto the street to suddenly hear a car honk and bright headlights blind me.

My body froze as I stared at the headlights of a car heading straight at me…

My arms helplessly rose to shield my face as I realized I was going to get hit.

This was it…

My life…

My family…

My dreams…

Everything…

The car continued honking until I finally felt it.

But… the pain I was expecting to crush my whole body was… different.

I felt two arms roughly wrap around my stomach as they lifted me off the ground and into their grasp. I felt our bodies spiral out of control as the other person still managed to get hit by the car. I flew out of their grasp and landed hard on my left shoulder causing a painful cry to emerge from my lungs. My arm completely shot on fire as I helplessly watched the other person slide on his feet to a stop not so far away from me.

How… how was that possible? He got hit by the car…. I winced a few times as I painfully witnessed the car speed away and disappear. "Wait-" No come back… A whimper escaped me as I noticed the black figure making its way toward me again.

I had to move… somehow…

My body cried in pain and exhaustion as it mustered up the last bit of energy to sit up.

I held onto my left shoulder and shook uncontrollably as the horror sank in.

As much as I stared at this person I couldn't see a single hint of who he might be. He was completely covered with a hooded black trench coat and his head was kept low in order to keep his face out of sight.

"Sss- stop!" I rose my right hand up while bringing my knees to my chest. "Please…" I cried watching the figure getting closer each step.

It was like he was purposely taking his time getting to me. He knew I wasn't going to run. He knew he had me. Why- WHY was he doing this?

My tears continued to pool and roll down my cheeks.

He had won…

I gasped and held my breath as he slowly knelt down beside me. He raised his head only to reveal a solid white mask with two narrow black slits for eyes.

I helplessly flinched and turned away as I suddenly saw his hands reaching toward me.

I couldn't take it anymore! I opened my mouth to scream but one of his gloved hands slammed over my mouth. He muffled my screams as he roughly pulled the scarf loose around my neck.

The cold air hit me like a splash of ice freezing water causing me to glare back at him in terror.

That horrifying white mask was all I could focus on; I didn't dare blink for a second. What was he going to—?

Within a sudden swift movement of his arm, I felt a sharp pain on the side of my neck.

I stared wide eyed at him as I felt myself falling back and seeing him shift behind me.

I fell onto his chest as he continued to peer down at me.

That hellish white mask was suddenly beginning to blur.

My breaths were strangely becoming slower and longer.

I could feel my head and eyes getting heavier.

What was happening to me…?

My mind was slowly starting to blank just as I felt the back of his gloved hand wipe away one of my tears.

The touch of this man made me shutter as his hand continued to slide down my cheek and to my neck.

I defenselessly pressed my eyes shut and rolled my head away, but this simple movement only caused my vision to swirl.

"Please…" I begged hopelessly. I couldn't even take care of myself.

My consciousness was gradually fading.

I tried forcing my eyes open to realize he was in the middle of picking me up in his arms. From there… everything began to diminish.

A few seconds later he was walking. Another more seconds or minutes later, I groggily opened my eyes to see the driveway to my house. Then going up the stairs…

I forced a single eye open enough to see the other man flash a light in my face. And from there, I felt a bed underneath me.

I could hear voices but I couldn't make out a single word. It all sounded so far away…

Something sat close to me and… sniffed me…

It caressed my cheek… touched my shoulder, and squeezed my hand…

As hard as I tried staying awake, it didn't work.

I had lost.

* * *

"Mikan? Sweety?" My mom's hand softly patted my head. "You're going to be late for school…"

I squinted my eyes open and blinked a few times to focus my eyes. My mom was sitting on the corner of my bed as Narumi stood by at the door frame. The gentle glow of the early sun gave my room a welcoming warmth.

"Mom?" My voice came out scratchy. "Mom?" My head began to pound.

I glanced at Narumi and then back at my mom before sitting up. Everything flooded in. "MOM!" I dove into her arms as I began to bawl. "Mom…" I whimpered as I couldn't remember much of last night.

"It's okay…" She rubbed my back soothingly, "It's okay…"

I roughly shook my head on her neck. "MOM IT WAS HORRIBLE!" I shouted pulling away and staring at Narumi, "THEY WERE HERE! They broke into the house and THERE WAS THIS BLACKOUT! And I ran- and there was this car- then… AND THEN-" I hiccupped trying to explain my ramble.

"Mikan," My mom turned my face toward her, "It's okay… it looked like you were having a nightmare. It was all a dream…" She tried to explain.

"No mom! It wasn't a dream!" That was insane! "Mom they were here!"

"Who Mikan? Who was here?" She sat closer to me trying to comfort me since my crying wasn't getting any better.

"The man… THE MAN WITH THE WHITE MASK! He was here!" I shouted jumping out of the bed and stumbling a few times.

Narumi stepped forward this time trying to slow me down, "Easy there."

"THEY WERE IN YOUR ROOM!" I glared at him as I pushed past him and ran down the hallway toward my parents room.

My parents chased after me as they arrived shortly after. And I couldn't believe it. Nothing in their room was out of place. Everything was in order.

"THE CLOSET!" I shouted turning on my heels only to get blocked by Narumi.

"Mikan, it was a bad nightmare. Nothing happened." He tried reassuring. "Your mother and I got back last night and you were asleep. You were really shooken up about the break in at the office and it-"

I shook my head violently, "NO! Just let me check the closet!" I swore on my life this wasn't a freakin' nightmare!

I forcedly passed between my parents and ran down the hallway and stairs to circle around the base to the closet compartment underneath.

I pulled the door anxiously expecting to see the bundle of coats on the floor, but gasped at what I saw.

I couldn't believe it…

"What's wrong with the closet?" My mom stepped beside me to notice the closet neatly organized.

This couldn't be right! "Mom I hid here! They cut the wires to the alarm and-"

Narumi stepped in between me and my mom and parted the clothes on the rack to reveal the metal box for the alarm system. He glanced at my mom as she gave him the nod to proceed. They couldn't possibly think I was making this up!

Narumi slid the metal covering off the case to reveal all of the color coated wires intact.

The sight startled me… there was no way… "Mom, Dad please- I'm begging you to believe me. It wasn't a dream!" I shouted as I ran away and back up the stairs. How could they possibly believe I was making this up?

This wasn't a dream! It wasn't! IT WAS TOO REAL to be a dream!

I locked my doors and sobbed into my pillow knowing my parents weren't going to believe me.

HOW- HOW COULDN'T THEY BELIEVE ME?!

I roughly tugged my shirt away from my shoulder to see if I had any kinds of bruising or scratches but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't even hurt now! How could this be happening?!

I sat up and gripped my head trying to force myself to remember anything else but my mind was too bent and distorted. I couldn't remember much after staring at the car lights.

From shrill frustration I screamed out a loud cry.

"Mikan!" my mom pounded on the door, "Open this door! You are blowing this out of proportion!" She rattled the doorknob. "You open this door right now!"

"No!" I countered back, "Go away!" They were the crazy ones that didn't believe me!

"Mikan…" This time it was Narumi talking. He didn't yell at me like my mom had been doing so, "I'm on the phone with the alarm company and they said there was a setback on the whole neighborhood last night. They are trying to identify the cause, but they don't have anything so far." He explained, "And there is news about a blackout last night but it was only a twenty minute delay."

I stared at the door as Narumi was the only one trying to understand me. His words had eased my crying and soothed my discomfort. "Does- does that mean… you believe me?" I wiped my tears as I headed to the door.

"I want to. That's why I'm trying to see if I can find anything out of place or anything missing. You just have to give us time to sort things out."

I slowly opened the door to see Narumi leaning up against the door frame with the house phone pressed up against his ear. "Are you okay with letting your mom and I handle things from here?"

I gave a helpless nod.

"Good then." My mom walked around me and scanned my room, "Mikan I want you to get ready for school. Take a shower and try to relax okay?" She began pulling out a set of close from one of my dressers, "The less you think about it the better." She handed me the set of clothing and guided me towards the bathroom. "Hurry it up and we'll drop you off at school." She didn't wait for a single reply as she closed the door right after me.

She made it seem like she was fed up with my outbreak. If anyone had the right on being upset, it should be me not her.

I started the shower and brushed my teeth while the water warmed up to the right temperature.

I took my shower quickly and changed into the clothes my mom had picked out and hadn't realized how miss matched my attire was until I had left my room to get shoes. She had literally picked out a long pink skirt, and a buttoned up white blouse. It was like she was dressing me to go to grandpa's place. Even so I wore her choice of clothes on and grabbed a pair of long knee-high white leggings and short brown boots.

My hair was a mess to begin with, so all I could do was blow dry it and tie it up in a messy ponytail.

It wasn't like my appearance mattered anyways. I didn't have Anna and Nonoko to fight me about my clothes anyways.

I ran down stairs and collected my textbooks and binders off the living room center table. I placed everything in my school bag knowing it was hard to believe that everything was left just as I remembered it.

My mom and Narumi were split up around the house scoping out anything that may seem out of place. I could obviously hear my mom bickering to Narumi about believing me, but Narumi continued roaming around the house inspecting every room.

"I'm ready? I called out as I retrieved one of my coats from my room. I fixed a long pink scarf around my shoulders just as Narumi met me at the end of the stairs. He was also adjusting his coat on while my mom pulled the door open.

I was about to walk past Narumi when he tugged me to the side, "Don't test your mom any more about it," He advised me as he locked the door, "I'll try and figure out if anything is missing from the house or from the office." We reached the car shortly and we couldn't continue our conversation.

I didn't have a chance to ask a single question, but it was a relief knowing I had Narumi on my side. It was comforting seeing how he actually wanted to help.

* * *

I got to school just around the time first period was over, so the hallways were pretty lively and filled with students. I walked around the mass of students as I planned to head to my locker to drop off some of my books.

I glanced around the main hallway hoping to avoid Sumire and any of her friends; Anna and Nonoko too as a matter of fact. I was nearing my locker when a shockingly familiar black backpack and tall figure caught my attention. The sight caught me by surprise. As hard as I found it to believe, I seriously thought I was looking at Natsume's back. "Natsume?" I called out to him thinking he'd hear me or show any sing or recognition, but he didn't respond.

I was still completely in shock that it was actually Natsume. It had been so long since I last saw him; I just didn't know how to react. I mean, I was upset that he didn't contact me at all this whole time. He had disappeared with all excused absences since the moment he got that strange phone call. He wasn't at school, he wasn't calling anyone, and when I tried going to Youichi's childcare center they said he was no longer checking in.

I couldn't figure out a way to find their apartment building since I couldn't exactly remember where they lived.

All in all, I couldn't hold it against him though. I really wanted to be near him… I missed him… and finally something good happened. I wanted to tell him what had happened. He was sure to believe me.

I lightly jogged over to his side and peered up at him, "Hey," I poked his left arm as I joined him, "Welcome back." A cheery smile formed on my lips thinking he would be happy to see me too, but he didn't acknowledge me in the least bit. He didn't even bother looking my way. And his hair- was long! His hair had grown past his eyes, and the back was close to touching his shoulders.

"Natsume?" I pulled on his left forearm trying to make him look at me, but he completely shrugged me off and kept walking.

I was getting confused now, "Nat-" Wait- something wasn't right. He made it seem like I did something wrong.

He was definitely acting weird.

I didn't let his attempt of getting rid of me go by smoothly. I quickly caught up to him and even got in front of him. "Hello~?" I began walking in a backwards motion in front of him. "Earth to Natsume? Hey?" I waved my hands close to his face thinking he would tell me to stop but instead he grabbed my wrists and moved me out of his way.

It undeniably stung the way he brushed me off, but that wasn't something I was going to shrug off either. "Natsume?" There was something definitely wrong, "Hey…" I persisted. Something didn't feel right.

He hasn't even spared a glance at me while everyone else in the hallway was quietly watching. It didn't stop there either. The moment I glanced around, I noticed the awkward whispers and glances the people were giving us.

…Great.

The last thing I needed was more unwanted rumors…

I quickly caught up to him and swiftly grabbed one of his hands in a firm hold thinking he might pull away. Luckily he didn't so I pulled him to make a sharp turn into a much emptier hallway. This hallway hardly had any students compared to the main hall, so I took the chance that nobody was looking and dragged Natsume into the nearest classroom and closed the door behind us.

This particular hallway always had empty classes during school hours due to their usage for post-examination remediation lessons.

I leaned up against the closed door behind me and watched as Natsume simply stood right where I had left him. No movement what's so ever. He was just… there.

I stared at him noticing the changes he had made since the last time I saw him. His skin looked questionably pale, almost pearl white. The only hint of color on him was the slight-ish red outline of his eyelids and his lips. His hair was definitely longer. Everything he wore was black. His long sleeve, pants, shoes, everything was black and it made him look even paler. His red sweater was the only thing that promoted any color in his wardrobe.

I breathed out a sigh.

He looked soooo tired for some reason.

"Natsume?" I pushed off the door and stood in front of him, "Are you okay?" I reached up to brush some of his hair out of his eyes and noticed his blue contacts. He just had this really empty stare; almost as if he was lost in thought or something like it.

I walked away briefly and headed for the nearest desk to drop off my school bag and books on the chair. It was bugging me so I dropped them off. But what I didn't expect was for Natsume to follow close behind me since the instant I turned around he was standing right in front of me.

"Uhmm…" I leaned back onto the desk behind me since he was a little 'too' close. It made me nervous, but I didn't step away. "Are you… okay?" I glanced up at him too see his hair covering his eyes. His hair was definitely an issue; like it was difficult to see his eyes so I couldn't resist on pushing some of it behind his ear. "You… really shouldn't hide behind your hair like that." I faintly smiled thinking he might say something back.

No answer… He didn't respond but his eyes wouldn't leave mine. His eyes continued to stare into mine making me feel like he was doing more than just staring. It was like he was hypnotized or something. "Hyuuga?" This time I placed my right hand up against his forehead and slowly traced it down to his cheek. "Can you hear me…?" I trailed off knowing my words hadn't been doing anything to reach him. "Can you see me…?" I continued mumbling to myself as I found myself tip-toeing trying to get close to his height.

No reaction.

I was so desperate to get a response out of him, I… tried something else. As nerve racking as this might have felt, I slipped my other hand behind his neck and pulled his face to mine. I lightly pressed my lips against his thinking this would be a 'for-sure' thing, but… his lips didn't move. The same blank expression remained on his face…

How could he—

"…You can't feel… me either?" A small whimper left me as I realized this wasn't working either… there was something definitely wrong. This couldn't be happening…

His lips even felt foreign. The warmth was definitely gone and he felt so cold and empty.

I had no choice but to break the kiss and guide his hands to my waist. His hands dropped a couple of times, but I kept insisting until his hands didn't move off my hips.

I continued by returning my hands to where I had them around his neck and pulled him into a second kiss. I wanted to give it one last try to see if he would react in any least way possible, but… he still felt empty. "Nat-sume?" I mumbled with my lips pressed up against his, "Feel…" I shut my eyes tight refusing to break the kiss, "Please…" I could feel the hope leaving me. The feeling was starting to sting my eyes. It was starting to bring insecure thoughts to my mind. Like what if this was his way of telling me he lost interest? Would he be the kind of person to flat out ignore me? But wait- what if it-

My mental ramble was suddenly cut short when I felt his fingers twitch on my hips. His grip instantly released my hips as he suddenly did a quick shoulder roll to shrug off his backpack. The sudden adjustment caused me to pull away and stare into his eyes.

His new stare startled me. It had suddenly changed. His eyes where narrowly closed and almost made it seem like he was dissecting me with his eyes. His contacts had long lost their color and his true eye color penetrated through. And what scared me was the fact that his crimson color wasn't the one I was used to. It was the one that I feared. The same red-yellow splashed color as the night from my birthday. It was THAT angry red color that scared me.

It wasn't his color-

His hands startled me again as they returned to gripping my hips.

"Natsume?" I tried taking a step back but the desk right behind me didn't allow it, "You- you're awake… right?" I stammered feeling the nervousness in my system getting worse.

He didn't answer.

My breath hitched as he suddenly took a step toward me causing me to press up against the side of the desk. "Oh- oh- okay… Uhh uhmm" My stuttering got worse, "You're awake so so… we can-"

"No."

"No?" I stared at him for surprisingly cutting me off. I wasn't expecting a sudden answer from him. And I was even more shocked to get a no from him. "Yes." I argued back as I tried stepping to the side. This situation was starting to raise a few red flags.

I felt the desk shift behind me as he took another step toward me. "Nats-" I didn't get the chance to voice the rest of my complaint as his hands suddenly lowered to grab my behind.

I hopped startled from the contact and he didn't stop there. My heart raced even more as he raised me onto the desk and stepped in between my legs.

"Stop-" I tried wiggling away from his hips but his hands held me in place.

The fact that my legs were straddling his hips while wearing a skirt was shooting up the rest of the red flags. A scary feeling began to sink into me.

A scary churn of warmth brewed in my stomach that made me try and push him away. My hands tried giving his shoulders a long push but he continued holding onto my lower back.

"Stop-" A frustrated whimper escaped me. He wasn't supposed to be doing this! This wasn't him- He promised he wouldn't!

He continued to ignore my protests and purposely pulled me to the very edge of the desk so that I couldn't shift anywhere but toward his hips.

"Please?" I gripped his red sweater trying to keep myself from falling back. "You have to-"

His left arm suddenly left my back and wrapped around my neck as he forced an aggressive kiss between us.

I felt myself wince from how hard he crashed his lips up against mine.

My face grew warm as he didn't waste time on deepening the kiss. He knew I was hesitating. He knew I wasn't going to shout for help. He knew I was… stupidly crazy about him. And even I knew it. I felt it.

Even my heart couldn't resist skipping a few more beats. The kiss was slowly starting to win me over. And his lips- God, his lips were doing everything right to convince me to give in. The swift movement of his tongue and lips were just- something I couldn't fight against. Even his taste was convincing me to allow him access.

I gave his shoulders one last push to show restraint, but that only caused him to pull me even tighter against him.

The kiss never broke during the whole attempt and I was getting worse. My train of thought was starting to lose against him. A hum vibrated out of my lungs and throat as I lost myself more and more. My lips were slowly starting to grow warm along with his tongue teasing my own.

My breathing was beginning to change as well. It was starting to quicken more and more as I sank deeper into the kiss; my arms had even wrapped around his neck and my fingers slipped into a full tight grip in his hair.

I could feel my heart drumming along with his from the close contact. His heart was beating just as fast and his breathing was starting to match mine. He was just as lost as I was and there was this growing feeling that felt more and more… right. It was clouding all of my senses and it was making this more and more exciting. Everything felt like it was becoming more and MORE.

And to make things worse another feeling began to grow.

A scary new feeling of excitement was starting to grow in my lower abdomen… and it was quickly getting strong… and spreading fast.

We continued to match each other's rhythm until I felt Natsume's hands release me.

His hands went unnoticed until I felt them swiftly brush up against my outer thighs.

The new contact startled me. The warm contact of his hands moving up on my thighs shot another surge of fear mixed with excitement through my frame.

"Ahh.." I slid my lips away toward his cheek, "Natsume…" I breathed his name out as I got a well needed breath, "Don't…"

His lips left my skin as well as he took the chance to… sniff me…

"Don't-" I pulled away from the shock as it reminded me of something I should have been afraid of. I caught his face with my hands and tried to push him away, but that didn't stop him. The only thing it did was make him claim my lips again. He met my lips with just the same amount of force as before, so I couldn't help myself giving in once again.

Thankfully I felt his hands leave my thighs and slide back up to my waist. It still gave me that uncomfortable feeling so I kept trying to adjust his hands to go a little bit higher, but he kept pulling me more and more toward him. I couldn't— "Ouch…" A sudden whimper escaped me as his belt buckle nudged me. "It's your belt…" I mumbled as he broke the kiss because of my sudden complain. And what I didn't expect was for him to reach down and unfasten his belt buckle. The action alarmed me enough to wake me up from his trance.

He slipped his belt off and tossed it on the floor. "Natsume?" I gasped trying to move back on the desk getting enough distance to cross my legs. "Stop- we have to stop." We could get in so much trouble if someone were to walk in! Not only that, but this was moving too FAST!

His hands suddenly grabbed onto the back of my knees along with spreading them open again. "Nats-" I couldn't help gasp a second time as he pulled me toward him making our hips meet again. "Wait-" His hands were on my thighs again and this time they were slowly moving up higher and higher.

"Don't-"

He muffled my complaint again with another kiss. I ended up humming out my protest as his lips began working their magic again. It was like he was purposely distracting me with the kiss in order to move his hands higher up underneath my skirt.

His thumbs massaged small circles into my skin as they advanced properly, but I wasn't convinced.

I grabbed his wrists as I felt my skirt being pushed up. My hands pulled at his wrists with the intent of yanking him away but he wasn't budging. His fingertips were close to the point of touching the outline of my underwear, so I couldn't help the impulse that suddenly took action.

I bit his lip hard and pushed as hard as I could to get him as far as possible.

I watched startled as he stumbled back over his backpack making his back hit the wall behind him. Everything happened so fast; I had to blink a few times to realize what I did actually happened.

"Natsume!" I hopped off the desk and ran to his side as he finished sliding down against the wall. "I'm sorry- I- I didn't know what else to do?" I fixed my skirt and knelt down a few inches away from him. "You weren't stopping so…" I stopped mid-sentence as he pushed his own hair back revealing his eyes.

A small smile tempted my lips as a quick sign of relief struck me.

Good.

His eyes were starting to change color again. They were starting to cool off into the blue contact color like before.

He was awake now and… and he was mad without a doubt.

"You- your lip is…" I pointed at his lip since there were quite a few bite marks starting to spread blood.

He reached up and touched the hint of blood escaping the left half his lower lip. "You bit me hard." He sucked his lower lip in and shot a quick glare at me.

I couldn't help feel a little bit upset, "Well you wouldn't stop!" I defended myself.

"And whose fault do you think that is?" He actually dared to argue back. "I couldn't-" He bit back the rest of his words and turned away.

"So that's it…?" He wasn't going to explain himself? The silent treatment he gave me before all of this happened and then the way he— ALL OF IT! He didn't explain anything!

I was getting angry by each silent second that lingered.

He deliberately ignored his promise and forced himself on me! And to not even bother apologizing?!

I stood up immediately without a word and picked up my school bag and books. "Natsume, the least you can do is apologize."

My statement made him slowly stand up, "No," He stepped over to pick up his belt. "I'm not apologizing for shit."

I couldn't help blink a few times surprised over his answer. "Are you serious?" I let my anger completely carry out my words.

"Does it sound like I'm kidding?" He spared a glance at me as he worked his belt around his waist. "I'm not apologizing over something we both did."

"Natsume!" I shouted catching his attention, "I was telling you to stop!" He was being completely horrible right now! I really needed to hear this apology from him, but it was starting to seem like I wouldn't even catch it in my dreams.

"Be pissed all you want," He stared directly into my eyes letting me know he was completely one-hundred percent serious, "I'm not apologizing."

"Then at least tell me you won't do it again!" I huffed.

My anger seethed even more as he let out a chuckle, "Oh you can bet I will do it again." He countered back, "I'm not your friend Sakura. I'm your boyfriend."

His words echoed through my ears as he proceeded into picking up his backpack and swinging a strap over his left shoulder.

He was about to turn to leave for the door but my words stopped him. "I didn't think that you would act like such a perverted jerk!"

"Perverted jerk?" He questioned my words, "Did you forget YOU were the one that started the whole thing?! You came on to me!" He raised his tone causing me to glare at him.

"Well that was because-"

"Shut up!" He completely cut me off. "Either you're my girlfriend or you're nothing to me. It's that simple." He turned to leave while I fought the sudden urge to cry since his words completely caught me off guard.

How could he consider it that simple? How could he say I was either one thing or nothing? "I'm-" I choked back a sob that tried to get out with my voice.

I took a deep breath in and pressed my lips tight instead.

He looked back at me but his expression didn't show any concern.

I knew he was expecting me to cry, it was what he wanted, but I stood my ground and suppressed the urge. I wasn't going to give him the delight of seeing me break down! "I- I'm not talking to you!" I shouted back at him.

"Fine." He shrugged at my response. "Do what you want. Fuckin' talk to a wall for all I care." He proceeded on pushing the door open. "Come find me when you're ready to act like a girlfriend."

And just like that he stepped out and left.

I swallowed the rest of my words as my pride was brutally pummeled by his ignorance. I couldn't do anything but stand there as the door closed behind him.

Now what? What just happened? He literally acted like a complete different person.

What was I supposed to do now?

I maybe had two options: either stand here and cry about it or walk out and defend the little bit of vanity I had left.

One thing was for sure though; there was no way I was going to approach him any time soon!

I let my anger answer for me as it drove me to take each step and walk out into the empty hallway. If Hyuuga thought he was going to have me chase after him, he couldn't be anymore wrong. Last time we fought it was my fault for misunderstanding, but not this time. It was his fault this time and I won't go up to him! If he thinks I'll mope around without him? I can bet I won't.

I had already gone two weeks without him anyways.

I don't care how long it takes. I will get that apology, and when he does apologize we better talk about boundaries.

I'm not letting this happen again. We can both bet on this!

* * *

**Chapter complete!**

**Another long chapter set and done. I was so happy to get this chapter done before going back to my hell of a school. **

**I can openly admit I teared up a few times writing the part where Youichi was leaving. I was listening to some rock tracks while writing that part and it was messing with me. Damn music was only depressing me even more! **

**I apologize to those that think i kinda crammed everything in this chapter, I just had to set everything down before I continued with the story. A lot of things will continue to change and I can't say or else that wouldn't be fun ;) **

**Please REVIEW comment, favorite, PM anything! and let me know what you guys think! Let me know what I need to work on. Any grammar or spelling hints are welcome. These are super long chapters and having to sit down and edit this stuff over and over takes days even. So please drop a comment and tell me what you guys think.**

**Where do you guys think the story is heading?**

**Is Natsume really going to revert back to his old ways? and what's this past he regrets a lot about?**

**And mostly... do you guys think Mikan will hold on?**

**all of that are just some questions to think about!**

**THANKYOU for reading and till next time XD**

**Wish me luck guys, I'll try to make a post around late august (about to become a senior!) **


	13. Days Within My Dream

**Author's note: Hey guys, happy to be posting another chapter to MDBIC. Had a week to get the ideas down and pieced together before making a whole 9K word chapter. Now, I know it's not as long as the previous chapters, but I'm happy to say it's a long 'enough' chapter. Better than the usual 5K chapters I used to write. I only had one week off for summer break, and somewhat spent most of my time working on this, so I hope I don't disappoint.**

**Alright now, I'm just going to say this whole chapter is in Natsume's POV so it was kind of difficult settling myself in his character. I basically wrote the previous chapter in Mikan's POV so going from that to a three month hiatus (because of Uni) and then from there trying to get Natsume's character back in my head?- yeah... I had to do a few write-overs. Hopefully he doesn't sound TOO out of character. **

**Well anyways ENJOY and hope you like XD **

* * *

_Dream 2: Phase 2_

"Why are you trying so hard on teaching this **thing**, Professor Izumi?"

"Thing? How can you call him that- look at him… he's just a little kid." The man standing before me strangely placed a small blue frosted cupcake in front of me. "Now Rei, hand me that candle I gave you earlier."

The guy standing over by the door breathed out a sigh and preceded in taking something out of his lab coat pocket, "I really don't see how this can work." He placed a single spiraled candle on the metal table.

My eyes blurred as I tried watching the man sitting across from me pick up the candle. "Okay… Natsume, can I-" The guy was about to put the candle on the cupcake but the other guy stopped him.

"Wait- you gave this **thing** a name? And out of anything you named him Natsume?"

"What's wrong with Natsume?" The professor sitting in front of me shrugged and continued placing the candle on the cake, "I don't like how everyone else calls him code: N-2. It sounds very robotic and inhuman. So I made him a happier name that fits him, and besides," The guy gently moved the cupcake toward me, "He likes this name better too, right Natsume?"

I strangely felt myself nod once.

"See! What did I tell you? Told you he likes it." The man in front of me sat forward and reached out to ruffle my hair.

"Well… that doesn't change anything." The other guy protested, "He's still dangerous."

"Oh stop it Rei, he hasn't done anything wrong. Now, let's get started." The professor handed him the clipboard that was on the table, "Here, help me out by standing back a few feet- and make sure you write down everything you hear and see."

"Yeah, I know how it works." The other guy scribbled something down on the clipboard.

"Okay then… Natsume, let's start of simple. Do you want to know what this is?" He pointed at the little pastry on the table. _Of course I knew what it was. This whole thing was playing out the same way anyways. _"This is a type of cake. It's really sweet and good to eat. Let me tell you, my little girl loves these! She loves anything sweet; she goes crazy over them, so… I told her to pick one out for you. And she picked this one. Want to try it?" The professor leaned forward a little to pinch a corner off the frosting. "It's yummy, see…?" He licked his fingers and smiled at me.

I was instantly fascinated and wanted to try it out. I was about to reach out to it, but the professor stopped me, "First things first though… you have to blow out the candle." He reached into his breast pocket and took out a metal lighter. He sparked it a couple times over the candle before it suddenly caught fire. "Did you see that? Now all you have to do is blow out the fire like this…" He breathed in a quick breath and blew out the flame. "Now can you do the same? Can you light up the candle and blow it out for me?"

I felt myself fidget and hesitate. Like I really wanted to try it, but I didn't want to do it wrong.

"It's okay Natsume, take as much time as you need." He smiled at me again while the other guy looked away annoyed.

I could feel something warm beginning to grow within my arms, and it slowly started dancing between my wrists and finger tips.

"Do you feel something?" The professor caught me looking at my arms. "Concentrate on it. Focus on that feeling."

His advice made the sensation intensify. My fingertips started changing color. The redder they got the more heated they felt.

"Can you touch the candle? Try touching the candle and see if it works."

My right arm slowly reached out to pinch the very tip of the candle to see something happen. The moment I touched it, a small vapor started leaving my fingers instead.

"That's it! Keep holding it."

I could feel the beads of sweat starting to form across my forehead. The heat inside my body was only getting worse. I wanted to let go, but it felt like I didn't want to let this man down. I didn't want to disappoint him.

The professor started to notice my struggle, "Natsume, don't force-"

"Don't." The other guy suddenly interrupted, "Let him do it."

I found myself focusing on the candle even harder now; my hand was beginning to tremble. Out of shrill desperation, I gave the candle tip a quick determined twist and saw it ignite. The tiny flame danced and covered the candle tip as I cheerfully sat back and stared at the professor in front of me.

"You did it!" He beamed at me then turned to the other guy, "See! He did it! Okay, Natsume blow out the candle, that way you can try your cake."

I sat up on the chair and happily blew on the candle thinking it would turn off just like the professor had showed me. I blew on it once… twice… third time, and nothing. The flame continued to cover the candle.

"Well that's weird…" The professor in front of me got out of his chair and knelt down next to me, "Let me try." He blew on the candle a lot harder than me, yet the small flame remained.

"Okay, that's enough." The other guy stepped up and pulled the candle off the cake, "Let's just take it and examine it thoroughly."

I watched the professor frown at me before standing up and giving my hair another quick ruffle, "I'm still proud of you. Eat your cupcake and tell me later if you liked it, okay? That way I can tell my little girl later how much you liked it." He followed his intern towards the door and seconds later disappeared.

I sat alone in the white solitude of my room. Nothing but me, and this unwanted cake.

I didn't want it anymore.

I unexpectedly climbed up on the table and lied down next to the cake. I really didn't want it anymore. It only made them mad at me. IT made them go away.

…it made them go away. It made me be alone.

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_I couldn't count the many times I had seen this dream. This exact dream- again and again. It was always the same room, and always the same test. In the end, I always understood how empty and alone I felt, so I stopped keeping track of the many times it had replayed. _

_I didn't understand what drove me to keep seeing the same dream over and over or what led to it, but it felt endless. The people involved or the fact that it always involved me being a younger age. _

_Just like the previous dream I had a while back. Fire then, fire now…_

_Why?_

_Was it that my mind was trying to recollect forgotten memories? Could it have been something I wasn't supposed to remember? _

_Because I did have an accident around that age, and I couldn't remember anything before the age of six. I couldn't recollect when I arrived at the orphanage or what age I was when I got there. The only form of identity they found on me was the wrist tag I was wearing at the moment. Anything else… was pieced together by the orphanage. _

_So anything of the sort involving my youngest age, I began to question. Why? Why couldn't I remember anything traumatizing like this? Usually the mind doesn't build a recollection of memories until the age of six, so that part made sense, but… when a traumatic event occurs… no matter the age, it's mostly to stick even at the age of four. So why couldn't I remember? _

_I always had the time to wonder this in between dream intermissions, I wasn't keeping track on how long I had dreamt this, but when I woke up from this stream of sleep, I had no idea where I was… or how long it had been._

_I woke up in a dark confined area where I couldn't see the distance between my nose and the wall inches away. It was like a metal container that felt cool to the touch. It didn't give me the space to stretch in any direction and my body wasn't cooperating with me either. It was something worth panicking over, but my mind was… exhausted. I didn't know how to describe the feeling I felt. It was tiring even to think what my name was or where I lived. It shot a numb feeling down my whole body. _

_In a way, it felt like I wasn't supposed to be awake. The same feeling you get when you experience one of those paralyzed sleep phases where you wake up too soon from deep sleep and you wish to move your body, but can't. You helplessly writhe in your own body begging for it to end soon, and in the end you feel completely miserable for panicking in such a way. _

_That same feeling… a prisoner in your own body- weird how it made complete sense to me in that way. _

_The darkness continued behind my closed eyelids as my body moved on its own, and all I could do was miserably beg for this to be over with soon. _

_The next time I woke up, I felt the weakness and soreness of my body. I had no idea what I had been up to, or where I had been, but it was evidently plausible that I had lost control at some point. _

_I had no recollection of memories, and my mental state wasn't the least close to being sane._

_I smelled of smoke, covered in ash and feeling like shit. I was passed out in a dark alleyway near a group of homeless people. They had me lying over a spread of newspapers and covered with an old withered blanket. They had looked after me apparently, but who knew for how long. _

_I sat up startling them, so they must have gotten used to me being unconscious. _

_They weren't expecting for me to wake up._

_I couldn't find the words to ask them how I got here, or how long they had been watching me. _

_I was too numb to think, speak, or look around. My eyes stared straight ahead as the homeless people slowly approached me._

_I could see the one kneeling in front of me waving his hands trying focus my attention, but I couldn't concentrate. My mind wasn't awake yet. It was like a prolonged blank aerie silence happening within my head. _

_The man continued by trying to talk to me, but I couldn't hear him. It took a few minutes before I felt anything besides the aches in my body._

_Strangely my frame began to shake. _

_I couldn't believe it but, for the first time I felt… cold. _

_Me- I felt cold! I shook uncontrollably as I was finally able to hear what the man was saying. _

"—_hear me? Young man, are you okay?" His voice never rang so clear in my ears. It was either that, or I was super excited to hear something other than silence. _

_My ears slowly began picking up the other noises around me too. The sound of the crackling fire in a metal trashcan caught my attention next. It was the only source of light in this dark grisly alley. The sound of a low howling wind was next then followed by the random car or two that passed by occasionally. _

_The aches in my body suddenly doubled up as well. The uncontrollable shaking wasn't helping in the least bit, but I welcomed it. It made me realize I was awake…_

_They slowly explained to me what had happened. How I got there, and how long I had been unconscious. Questions they assumed I would ask._

_There must have been a lot of police activity too by the sound of it. They said I must have been running from something because I had threatened them to hide me. They didn't know whether I was the reason why the police were on the lookout, but I ended up passing out with a last single plead of help before hitting the concrete. _

_Their intention was to leave me there at first, but one of them admitted they couldn't leave me out to freeze in this weather. This other man also explained his sympathy and so on and so on. _

_In the end I had lost consciousness for almost four days. _

_I asked for the date but I was surprised to hear we were going into the second week of February. _

_I had gone missing for almost two weeks…_

_I wasn't sure what to think at the moment. The last thing I remembered was being with… Youichi…_

_Youichi… then Mikan…_

_Mikan… why was I remembering her all of a sudden? _

_My head began to pound as I recognized how far back my memory had gone. I wasn't aware of what I had done these past two weeks. _

_I felt my chest tightening as I began hyperventilating. The more I tried to remember the worse I got…_

_I had a panic attack… _

_I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as I tried screaming but my voice didn't come out. I drowned in my own worthless pity, as I realized I had no control over my situation. My heart pounded fiercely within my chest to the point that I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. _

_My panic attack lasted longer than a few minutes. It was ongoing. The six people that had been looking after me sat me up against the wall and held me in place to stop the shaking. I wasn't getting any better until one of them had me cup my own gloved hands over my face and breathe into them. This helped rebalance the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in my blood. _

_I had reached the forty minute mark by the time my panic attack subsided._

_I knew Youichi was gone, that much I recognized, but after that… I couldn't think up of anything._

_I had no choice but to accept it in order to focus on my current situation. _

_I checked my surroundings once again and glanced down at my clothing. I had no idea I was wearing a long hooded black trench coat with a black under armor long sleeve and black pants. I had several black poly propylene webbed belts around my waist and two around my right upper thigh. And lastly I had steel toe black boots that strapped up half ways up my calves. _

_I wanted to question why the hell I was wearing all of this, but there wasn't a single answer near me._

_I for sure as hell didn't have it, so no use asking them about it. Instead, I requested to be moved closer to the flaming trashcan, since the feeling in my legs wasn't fully back yet. They helped me sit up on an upside down trashcan near the fire and continued watching me the rest of the night. _

_I told them about me. It's the least I could do. I wasn't afraid of telling them about my life; it actually brought comfort to me because it was helping me refresh my mind as well. _

_Hours began to sail by, and slowly each one began retreating for some late sleep. By the time three o'clock came around, it was just me and the main man in charge of the group. _

_I wanted to give him any loose cash I had on me, but I had nothing on me. I didn't even have a wallet on me, so I had no clue on how to pay them back for their act of kindness. _

_He didn't mind it, but the only thing he did make me promise was that he'd never want to see me around these places again. I laughed at his condition, but I thanked him for it and agreed to his promise before setting out._

_I walked the empty city streets without being able to piece the past two weeks into play. I was able to sort a few memories around, but nothing to guide me in the right direction. _

_I got home around sunrise only to find a pink slip of paper on the door. I grabbed the note and skimmed through its bolded font stating some crap about accumulation of school absences and that the child services are aware of such and such actions. Who cared._

_I crumbled the paper in my hand and headed into my apartment before tossing it on the counter. I tossed the paper to the side and began stripping as I headed for my room instead. _

_I picked up a clean set of clothes and headed into the bathroom for a really well needed shower. I had no idea what or where I had been, and I really didn't want to know what I reeked of, so I needed this shower. On the other hand, I did notice the traces of bruises around my left hip area and upper back, but other than that I couldn't reason why I had them. _

_I stepped in regardless of the time, and settled with taking a long shower before heading for school. _

_I didn't understand what had happened from the moment I stepped into my shower, but I went from letting the water pour down on me to suddenly forcing myself up on my girlfriend. I had Mikan locked in my arms with her legs straddling me. _

_I felt myself gasp as I felt a sharp pain on my lower lip followed with suddenly falling back and hitting my back up against the wall behind me. I continued sliding down against the wall as my mind tried recollecting any quick memories before they got away. _

_I quickly recaptured the memory of Mikan trying to get my attention then to getting kissed by her. Then from there… uhh yeah, it made sense in a way. _

_She rushed forward trying to explain to me why she had pushed me away, but in reality it sounded like she was accusing me of something we both did. _

_I wasn't going to apologize for something we both did and enjoyed apparently. Why the hell would I? She fuckin' dared call me out on this while she was the one that came on to me. She fucking teased me! It seriously pissed me off seeing how mad she was about it. _

_Why the hell would I apologize?_

_All the hot and cute noises she was making?- It was definitely something I'd go for again. To hell with it! I didn't take back any of my actions and told her to reanalyze her position as my girlfriend instead. _

_I left her fuming mad, but it was better than trying to explain to her I had an absence moment. Fuck it you know, I couldn't even explain what was going on with me now, so how the hell could I explain it to somebody else? –yeah it wasn't going to happen, that's for sure._

* * *

"Hyuuga, yo!" Andou suddenly caught my attention as I reached the school gates, "No tutoring today?"

I shook my head, "No, not anymore." I waited for him to catch up, "I got community service now because I missed the past two weeks of school."

Andou winced at my new term, "Daing dude that sucks. What happened?"

"I was out working I guess." I shrugged not too sure of my words, but I had a few ideas to assume this much.

"So what are you going to do now?" He asked.

"I don't know… find a place- finish up my hours." I didn't really have much of a choice.

"Any idea where?"

"Nope…" I answered before leaving him behind. "Going to look I guess."

I headed into the city on foot and walked in the direction I once knew. I wanted to see if I could take some food or cash to the homeless group of people that had helped me out earlier this week, but it wasn't going too well. I had reached the area I assumed was right, but after walking all the alleyways around this side of town, I ended up at a dead end.

I couldn't find these guys. After a good two hours of searching the area, I walked into a pool room pub called the GA pub. It was a small run down place with a bar, pool table area, and a squared off stage on the left where some form of performances could take place.

The place was pretty empty due to the hour and possibly even the lack of customers. I figured it wouldn't harm anyone if I sat at an empty table and relaxed for a bit.

I scoped the area some more and noticed there was a metal staircase on the right that led to a second floor. Not very far from the staircase, a particular painting caught my attention. It seemed so familiar for some reason. I felt like I had seen it before-

"Hey, we're not open yet." A girl's voice suddenly caught my attention as she appeared from behind the bar.

"Door was open." I boredly answered glancing away.

"Oh yeah? Well let's see some I.D, you gotta be eighteen and over to be in here." She countered back.

"Fine." I picked up my backpack and turned to leave, "This place looks like shit anyways." It actually wasn't that bad, but the fact that I was getting kicked out made me want to say it.

I surprisingly felt a hand grip my forearm, "What'd you say rude punk?!"

I turned to purposely say it to her face but came face to face with a startling familiar face. The short shoulder length blonde hair and beauty mark on the lower corner of her lip instantly sold her out.

"You…" She stared into my eyes, "YOU!" She shouted completely making me take a step back, "Black Cat!" She beamed to which I couldn't help smirk at her for actually remembering my old code name. "Dude! I almost didn't recognize you! Oh my God, you have blue eyes! Blue eyes?!" She questioned as she took me into a strong hug. "And you're tall! Taller than me?!" She pulled away slightly and used one of her hands to measure the difference in height between us. "Remember I used to be taller than you?"

I nodded not being able to understand the odds of finding an old childhood friend in such a random place of all places.

"Do you remember me?" She couldn't help ask since I haven't tried making any recollected assumptions about her.

"Yeah, I remember you." I admitted to which she took as a chance in giving me a second hug, "I remember your sour attitude too Luna."

She gave my hair a hard tug for that last statement. "You're the asshole that said this place looked like shit!" She argued back.

"Well…" I purposely stalled to make her even madder.

"Natsume!" She lightly punched my shoulder as she retreated from the hug. "Cut it out. The smartass in you hasn't lost its edge either."

I smirked at her, "If you say so."

"I know so!" She didn't hesitate on her answer before pulling two chairs out on the nearest table. "So now tell me, how've you been? Did you just move to the city?"

"I've been living around the area for a few months now, but never really wandered around the city until now I guess." I answered while deciding to skip the 'how've you been' question, "And wasn't I getting kicked out just now?" I pointed a thumb over my shoulder and towards the exit.

"Oh stop it, you know I can't possibly kick you out now, " She giggled, "Take a seat and let me bring some water before catching up, okay?" She quickly skipped away as I slid into one of the seats.

She didn't take long as she brought two cups and a pitcher of water, "So I see you're still in school? Finishing up high school I'm guessing?" She stared at my backpack as she took the seat across from me.

"I guess so. Don't really have a choice you know."

"How many more years do you have?" She asked.

"Two more years." I answered. "I got an extra year because of you guys."

"What?!" She crossed her arms and glared at me, "We told you to keep going to school, but you didn't like it!"

I chuckled at her answer, "I had my reasons."

"So how old are you now?" She decided to ask another question.

"Turned seventeen not so long ago. I had a little kid living with me too, but his family showed up out of nowhere and claimed him recently."

"Aww, I'm sure that was rough," She reached over to give my hand a squeeze. "Was he with you for a long time?"

"Two years," I admitted, "He got adopted with me in the long run, but I was basically raising him." A small smile spread on my lips as I remembered a few faint memories of Youichi.

"It looks like you've been through a lot." Both of her hands cupped my hand.

"You have no idea…" I mumbled quietly to myself as I glanced away. "Well what about you? How are things on your end?"

"Uhmm…" She paused to serve the two glasses of water and followed with taking a quick sip, "I finished high school, but gave up about going to college. It just wasn't part of my plan from the beginning. And I turn twenty-one this year so I'm like four years older than you? Well anyways, after the whole you know 'gang stuff' we went our separate ways. All except Reo and me, Reo is actually the owner to this shitty place based on your opinion." She winked at me.

I sat up hearing the last part, "Reo is here too?"

"Yep, he gave up on the whole 'making it big' as an artist and opened up this place instead." She sipped on her water again while I haven't even touched my glass.

"That sucks… really." I remember the guy being pretty talented on vocals and guitar.

"I know right? That's why he liked this place." She turned to look over her shoulder and towards the stage. "He performs once in a while and the place gets packed. It's pretty neat… you should come and see him perform sometime?"

"I wouldn't mind it."

Luna completely took my answer as one of the greatest news ever. "Oh my God, do you mean it?!" She excitedly sat up and beamed an even bigger smile.

"Yeah, why not?" Not like I had much waiting for me back home anyways.

"Yay! Reo won't believe me when I tell him I saw you!"

"Well I'll drop by some other time, I gotta get going." I stood up from my chair and grabbed my backpack again. "Do you happen to know of any homeless shelters nearby? I got stuck with community service and I'm looking for a volunteer place."

"Oh uhmm yeah! There's one nearby actually." She walked with me towards the front and pointed me in the right direction. "You'll find it a few blocks away from here."

"Thanks." I walked past her thinking that was it, but she caught my hand just as I stepped out.

"You… you're coming back right?"

I raised a brow, "Uh yeah… I told you I wanted to see Reo perform some time."

"Okay good." She breathed out a sigh, "You'll find me- us! Here…" She suddenly gave me a push and waved me off. "See ya next time Natsume!"

I glanced back at her as I returned a small wave at a distance.

* * *

_I began volunteering at the homeless shelter right after school until five o'clock and routinely stopped by at Reo's place after. At first sight, Reo wanted to kick my ass for what played out in the past, but overall he was glad to see I was doing okay. He didn't kick me out of the place either like I had expected. The fact that he would make me come in through the back entrance was the only adjustment he had to make. _

_Luna was strangely happy about it too, since she would sometimes make me help around the place whenever it got too busy. _

_After a few days, I decided to invite Andou and a few of his friends that were over the age and they all began showing up to the too. I guess it helped Reo out too, since he started performing more frequent. _

_It seemed livelier whenever Reo performed and it brought in more customers. _

_It somewhat reminded me of our old times…_

* * *

"Alright, alright, Natsume and I will take you both on!" Luna cheered herself on as she pointed at Andou and one of his friends. "I'm on break so a round of pool is more than enough. What do you guys say?"

Andou and his friend exchanged glances before grabbing a separate pair of billiard sticks and lining up the cue balls in the center.

"First things first though," Andou glanced around, "Gotta get a drink." He sat his pool stick down while Luna and his friend groaned at the sudden delay.

"Oh my God, is he serious? Really- on my break?" Luna continued complaining next to me.

On the other hand, I kept my eyes on the clock making sure I didn't miss the last bus to my side of the city, "I should leave pretty soon."

"What- why?" Luna grabbed my arm, "Is it getting too late?" She glanced at the clock too. "Uhmm I'm sure it isn't that late…"

"The clock reads nine-ten Luna. Busses stop picking up people at ten, so I better leave before then."

"Well I can give you a ride home. You don't-"

"No, it's alright." I turned her down, "You have to stay behind and…" My voice trailed off as I noticed a weird movement going on at a distance. Not only that but I heard a too familiar voice. A voice that instantly changed the beating rhythm in my chest.

I glanced around as Andou was making his way through the crowd.

"Natsume?" Luna noticed my curiosity so she tried finding what it was I was so focused on.

"Hey guys, sorry for the delay," Andou waved from a distance as he continued pulling a person after him. "Guess who I just found?"

I couldn't help turn away annoyed as I saw Sakura step out from behind Andou.

Three main questions crossed my mind instantly: What do you want? How'd you know I was here? And who let you come here? She didn't exactly have the most lenient parents to have her going into these kinds of places, so she better have a good reason.

"Uh Andou, who's the little girl?" Luna crossed her arms while keeping her grip on the pool stick, "Remember we're about to start a round?"

"Yeah, but…" Andou pointed back at the bar area, "Some guys were trying to pick her up, so I-"

"Who?" I cut him off catching them off guard. I leaned off the pool table from behind me and redirected my attention at Sakura. "YOU tell me." The anger was seriously evident in my tone since it caused Sakura to flinch and look away.

"Hey!" Luna pulled on my arm instead, "Why are you getting so worked up over this? Can someone tell me what's going on? And why are you getting worked up over this little girl?" She rolled her eyes at Mikan.

"You know what man?" Andou spoke next, "I think it's better if I just get her home safe…"He offered in a nice way but I completely took it in a different way.

"You're not taking her anywhere!" _What the hell am I saying?_ "Who the fuck are you to take her anywhere?!" _Fuck! Why am I still talking?!_

I stepped forward to grab Mikan, but Luna stepped in between Andou and I. "Let him take her! She's not allowed in here anyway."

"Then fuck this place! I won't fucking come back to this place either!" _God, someone better fucking stop me! Why the hell—_

I forced Luna to the side only to see Mikan step from behind Andou and run into my chest.

Her arms wrapped around me in the tightest way around my chest as she squeezed herself up against me. "Natsume!" She pressed her head against my chest. "Feel! You have to feel!" Her words rang through my ears as if I suddenly woke up.

I felt myself gasp as if I broke out of a trance. What the hell? "Mikan…" I couldn't explain the sudden warmth I felt as she continued holding onto me. Out of anyone around, she was the only one that recognized my moment in trouble. How did she know?

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pressed my forehead down against the top of her head, "How did you…" My voice trailed off as I felt another wave of comfort flow through me.

"I get it now," Luna quietly spoke from the side, "Girlfriend- right?"

I nodded without letting go of Mikan.

"Uhmm wow-"Luna awkwardly breathed out a nervous laugh, "Of course you- you have a girlfriend. I mean, why wouldn't you, ya know?"

I couldn't understand why she was so stunned about the fact that I had a girlfriend… unless…

Of course…

"Mikan?" I placed a quick kiss on her head causing her to look up at me. "This is Luna, one of my childhood friends." I broke the hug between us giving Mikan the space to greet Luna properly.

"You… you're Natsume's childhood friend?" Mikan curiously approached Luna, "I can actually tell! You both have that same- same- uhmm presence! It's scary in away." She giggled happily, "Almost like a girl version of him!" She pointed a thumb back at me.

"Oh shut up!" Luna crossed her arms making it seem like she got offended; "Don't compare me to THAT."

I knew this was Luna's way of messing around, but Mikan didn't know that. "I- I'm sorry! I-"

"Don't apologize." I poked her forehead, "She's messing with you."

Mikan breathed out a sigh of relief, "Oh… good."

"Yeah I'm messing with you," Luna added. "But that doesn't mean I like you, got it?"

Mikan gave me a nervous glance, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her, "She'll probably be sour about it for a while, but she'll get over it."

"Then I should probably go…" Mikan mumbled loud enough for me to hear.

"Yeah, I was thinking of getting out of here soon too." I glanced from Mikan to Andou and handed him my pool stick instead.

He actually looked kinda mellow about everything; like it wasn't anything new to him. "Hey, sorry about-"

"Don't sweat it man, I'd get pissed too if another guy offered to take my girl home too." He bluffed letting me catch on to his hidden intensions.

"You…" I couldn't help glare at him, "How the fuck do you know when to mess with me?" I was surprisingly amused over this.

He responded by pointing at Mikan, "Easy. You got your soft weak spot right next to you." He goofily grinned at me.

"God, damn…" I breathed out a long breath, "I was ready to beat the shit out of you and the fuckers that were looking at my girl." As much as I didn't want to admit it, it was true.

"Oh yeah, I can tell." He laughed instead, "Glad I can help out though."

I glanced at Mikan beside me and realized what he had done. "Thanks." I couldn't believe I was thanking Andou for this.

He had strategically figured out a way to break the ice between Mikan and I.

"Let's go." I grabbed Mikan's hand and pulled her ahead of me, "Luna, say bye to Reo for me. I probably won't be around this place much because of 'you know who'." I tipped my head in Mikan's direction. "She's not allowed to be near these kinds of places, so I better get her home."

"Well alright… just don't completely avoid us though, so… when you do get the chance bring her along too, if you have to. There are a few things I'd like to talk to her about."

Mikan instantly nodded, which I couldn't help question, "Easy there. You don't exactly have the most awesomest parents in the world to let you come to this place."

"I know." She huffed, "But they don't exactly need to know where I am all the time, right?" Her answer definitely won a smirk out of me.

But I felt pretty guilty too in a way. "Alright, Ms. Rebel, let's get you home before you completely spiral out of control."

She playfully pouted as I pulled her towards the exit.

We left the building with our coats back on and headed into the alleyway that led to the parking lot.

"So…" I broke the silence, "Mind telling me how you knew what to do back there?"

Mikan responded with a shrug, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"What?" I pulled her hand to stop her from walking. "Mikan, you could have-"

"I know!" She defended, "But it wasn't the first time I saw you like that either. There have been a few times I've witnessed your 'off-mode'. And they all tend to end if I-"

I raised a brow, "Wait- what off-mode?"

"Well yeah, that's what I decided to call it…" She strangely admitted, "You know… like that time on my birthday? And then that time in the classroom where we…" She bit her lower lip and refused to finish that last statement.

I didn't want to voice my sudden realization, but Mikan was definitely onto something. She HAS been around to see all of that. "Thanks." Was all I could say in the end.

I didn't want to continue down that same topic anymore because then she'd want to ask questions.

I grabbed her hand instead and continued walking the rest of the way towards parking lot. We reached her car shortly while Mikan dug through her bag looking for keys.

"You know…" She suddenly pulled a ribbon wrapped box out from her purse, "I wanted to give these to you at school but… uhmm I'm just glad I was able to give them to you in the end." She beamed at me even though I didn't really understand the proper motive.

"Why?" I stared at the box.

She placed the box in my hands, "Happy first Valentine's day together." She faintly smiled at me, "Uhmm these are homemade chocolates- like I made them! So I don't know if you'll like them! But-"

So that was her reason…"Thanks…" I sounded upset. Something she caught onto instantly.

"Oh uhmm, you don't have to eat them if you don't want to. I just-"

I chuckled, "It's not that." I admitted, "I just forgot there are days like this when couples are supposed to do these kinds of things."

"I wanted to try it." She continued smiling, "Even though I had to find you in a place like this and risk getting killed by my parents…? I'm glad I was able to give them to you."

I returned the smile to which Mikan sarcastically gasped at.

"Oh my God, that was a smile!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"It was so cute! I'm sorry I'm just not used to seeing you smile!"

I crossed my arms, "Well you're the only exception."

"Oooh I am honored." She giggled.

I didn't say anything as I took the chance to guide her towards the back of her car. I sat the box of chocolates down first before reaching for her hips and lifting her up as well. I sat her up on the edge of the trunk before joining her as well.

"You're going to help me eat these since I'm not a fan of chocolate." I removed the ribbon and wrapping before sliding the lid off.

I really didn't want to laugh at the shape of the chocolates but I couldn't help it.

"Hey! Don't laugh at them!" She pulled the box out of my hands, "I wanted to make them into hearts but they wouldn't stay in that shape so then I tried making them round but they wouldn't stay that way either!"

"So then the random smiley faces were the best option in the end." I continued laughing as she grew more flustered.

"I tried okay! I told you they were my first time making them!" She hid her shy expression by looking at the box in her hands.

"Okay, okay let me try them then." I pulled the box out of her hands and picked up a random piece of chocolate before placing it in my mouth.

I didn't want to admit it but she did a good job regardless of the appearance. It had a creamy strawberry filling and a milk chocolate casing.

"So… how is it?" She eagerly waited for my review.

"…Not bad?" I purposely teased her.

"Not bad…? Not bad?" She pulled the box away again, "Natsume, you're supposed to lie and say they're really good or amazing no matter what!"

I pulled the box back too and lifted another piece of chocolate. "Alright, alright you try it then."

I held the piece of chocolate out to her thinking she'd want it in her hand, but she boldly leaned over and grabbed it with her teeth.

She took the piece of chocolate with a playful grin in her mouth and chewed on it happily.

She didn't say anything so I held out a second one for her to taste.

"Another?" She mumbled while still chewing on the first.

She leaned over to bite this one too but another idea crossed my mind instead.

As soon as she took the second piece into her mouth I decided to lean over and swiftly claimed her lips with mine. I perfectly caught her in between chews so I was able to instantly taste the chocolate within her mouth.

Her reaction was amazing. A soft moan escaped her lips as her hands clutched on to my chest. She held onto me as if her life depended on it. Either that or she was completely caught off guard and didn't know whether to push me away or not.

I didn't wait to find out though; I moved the chocolate pieces around her tongue and savored every… single… sweetened… taste from it.

Her breathing definitely picked up fast, but she continued exploring the kiss.

The beating in my chest had seriously picked up too, so I was kind of looking like her…

We continued melting the chocolate pieces until I moved some of the remains into my mouth and swallowed them. She repeated my actions as I felt her swallow shortly after.

I slowly began to pull back while I sucked any last chocolate traces from her lips before breaking the kiss.

I breathed out a long sigh and pressed my forehead against hers, "Really good… or amazing. No matter what…" I whispered repeating her words as I watched her eyes shake from behind her closed eyelids.

She didn't open her eyes like I wanted her to, but she pulled me even more towards her as she decided to hide her face into my chest.

I assumed I ended up crossing the line in some way then… "Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to do that…" I sighed grabbing onto her shoulders.

"No…" She mumbled onto my chest while shaking her head too.

She pulled away next and showed me her blushing face again, "I- I liked… it. I really… liked it. And I thought that maybe you'd never want to… you know…" Her voice definitely trembled, but I didn't know whether it was from fear, or anger, or something else. I didn't really know what to expect from her in the end. I mean, there are times when she's okay with kissing, but then she's not, or then she wants me to? It's all in the moment I guess. I figured as much…

I noticed she was lost in thought too so I purposely surprised her with a quick peck on the lips.

"Natsume!" She sat up straight startled over the fact that her reaction was beyond past delayed.

"What? You were spaced out in the middle of saying something. And besides, you made it sound like you wanted me to kiss you, so I did." I guess my words were 'too' straight forward because it only made her hide away from me.

She hiked up her knees and hid behind them. "Oh my God, you're so-!"

I rolled my eyes and breathed out a sigh, "I'm a what?" I sat the box down beside me and reclined back on my arms.

We sat there silently waiting for one of us to say something, but it got strangely- ridiculously silent. It got to the point that I could even hear the humming of the parking lot lights above us.

"Kissing…" She shyly raised her head up, "You're really good at it."

I instantly chuckled over her random statement which led to her blushing even more.

"No! I meant to say comfortable! You're really comfortable with kissing!" She tried changing her words but it was already too late.

I continued laughing as she hid behind her legs again. "You're so mean!"

I tried pulling one of her hands away from her legs but she stubbornly resisted, "How am I being mean? I'm only listening to you talk about-"

"You're laughing at me!" She cut me off, "I'm trying to tell you that I'm still trying to learn how to kiss and you're laughing at-"

Learn? What the hell is this about learning? "What's there to learn?" I just had to cut her off there, "I don't get why you're hung up on learning how to kiss?" How the hell did she expect to learn? "What the hell?" I shrugged completely lost. I couldn't in the slightest way interpret her confusion.

I mean, I remember she herself had explained what a kiss was to Youichi. She freakin' compared it to candy! And the motives of making someone feel good! Why the hell was she acting up?

"Well!" She raised her head to look at me again, "Well just- just how you do it! How do you kiss?"

I literally had to turn away over this. I wanted to blame it on innocence but it couldn't have sounded any dumber, "Mikan…" I sighed completely unsure on how to answer, "You seriously asked a very dangerous question just now."

"Oh…" Her silence meant she was contemplating my warning. "What do you mean? How- how is that dangerous?"

I couldn't help face palm over this. "You're ridiculous…" I voiced out my frustration. There's no way she could be this innocent. She seriously couldn't be this confused?! "Mikan, just… stop- stop talking." I hopped off the back of her car and shook off some of the frustration. "Let me ask you this instead," I crossed my arms and leaned my back against the car. "What do you feel when I kiss you?" I swear if she can't catch on from this…

Her expression remained the same- curious, but her blush was evident; she was thinking of something.

"I… don't know…" She mumbled looking away.

"Mikan, it's written all over your face right now. You can't possibly say you don't-"

"Good!" She forcedly admitted, "I like how it feels!"

"And that's it!" Finally she was on the right track! "That's your answer, and that's why I do it! I don't kiss you expecting to know what I'm doing. I kiss you wanting to make you feel good." I wanted to say us, but it was already challenging enough getting her to understand herself.

She shyly turned away again.

I leaned off the car and pulled her legs down, "Is that clear enough for you? Did it make any sense at all or do you want me to keep going?"

I readily waited for some form of understanding because I was on the brink of breaking through my patience and eagerly craving to show her instead.

"I get it…" She mumbled loud enough for me to hear.

"And do you NOW get why I got mad when you told me not to kiss you again?" I knew it was a bit of a stretch but I wanted to prove my point on the last argument we had.

"I do…" She averted her eyes to her fumbling hands on her lap, "I was just… scared."

Her words hit BIG, and hard- and stung too. It was like a low blow, I didn't expect it. I never wanted her to admit she was afraid of me. She was the only one that wasn't, so why did she just-

"I was afraid we were suddenly moving so fast, and it was-"

"What?" Wait— what did she say? "That's what you- say that again?"

"Uhmm," She didn't stop twirling her fingers, "I was afraid we were suddenly moving so fast and it was happening at school?"

I immediately breathed out a sigh of relief, "No way…" I pushed my hands through my hair and leaned back up against the car again, "You have no idea how much better that sounds."

"Uh…" She gave me a confused glance, "You're not being sarcastic right now are you?"

"No, but alright- I get what your trying to tell me. It won't happen again… any time soon that is." That was something I could agree on, "I promise that much, but if things do begin to happen later and you're not complaining then-"

"Natsume!" She shoved my left shoulder stopping me from saying the rest, "I'm not ready for that!"

"Yeah, I know… that's why I said later. Keyword for you there Mikan. Later…" Hopefully she understood that much. "I can promise you that."

Instead of hearing her accuse me again, she unexpectedly reached over and ruffled my hair with both of her hands. "Men are such… perverts!"

"And women are such teases." I shrugged before leaning my head away.

We couldn't have put it in any better stereotypical terms. And in a way we both exchanged glances in an agreement type of manner. The topic somewhat died off after that.

I was in the middle of checking my coat for the thin smart phone Persona had given me when Mikan decided to break the silence.

"Natsume? Uhmm can I ask you something? It's kinda off topic, but it's something that's been nagging me for some time."

"What is it?" I turned to face her.

"It's about Youichi…"

* * *

**Chapter Complete! **

**Hoped you guys liked! What did you guys think? I love seeing what you guys think so please REVIEW. I hardly got anything out of the previous chapter so I don't know if you guys even liked it? I really like writing this story, so I'm only hoping you guys are liking it too. Thank you for reading this whole time really. **

**And again sorry if I left any heavy mistakes. I work on my own and reading the same thing over and over can only do so much. Hopefully you guys liked and didn't think the characters were out of their usual personalities. **

**But I will admit, that even I felt awkward when writing the last part of the chapter. Try thinking that up in a guys perspective lol**

**Please review, PM, or favorite. Seeing you guys check in motivates me even more into working and posting sooner chapters.**

**Thanks again! and Until next time XD **


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